


Garlic in the Cauldron

by Ashtheshortstack



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood Drinking, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Halloween AU, Happy Halloween!, I have zero regrets, Mild Sexual Content, Mutual Pining, Not really a slow burn but they aren't together in the first chapter like my usual antics!, Romantic Fluff, This Fic Is Entirely Self Indulgent, Vampire!Adrien, Witch!Marinette, Witches and Vampires, blood mentions, dark themes, halloween fic, mild fight scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-09 03:56:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20847146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashtheshortstack/pseuds/Ashtheshortstack
Summary: Adrien Agreste learned from a young age that witches were the enemies to vampires. He was taught to kill on sight, drink them dry, and never look back... however, meeting a witch named Marinette threw his entire world off balance.





	1. Putting a Spell on You

_“Those wretched creatures killed your mother, son.” _

_The ten-year-old vampire, Adrien Agreste, stared up at his father, tears in his bright emerald eyes. “Mama’s not coming back?” _

_“No. She’s not. Witches are responsible. We will make them rue the day they ever crossed us. No witch will live if our clan has anything to say about it,” Gabriel growled, eyes glowing a harsh red in his anger. “We must take their lives and avenge your mother’s death. Do you understand, Adrien?” _

_Eyes wide with fear, the small vampire nodded. “Yes, Father.” _

_Gabriel ran his clawed fingers through his son’s golden hair. “This day marks the day that the Agreste Clan calls for the extermination for all witches. We will hunt down their covens and demolish them all. You will be ready.”_

_“But Father, I don’t know how to kill anyone.” _

_Casting his son a sharp glare, the elder vampire hissed. “You will. You will take over our people, and call for the heads of all witches as well.” _

_Adrien merely nodded. “Yes, sir.” _

o~o~o~o

Adrien tossed and turned, groaning as he flopped himself flat onto his mattress. Annoyed at his lack of slumber, he glanced at the clock. It was late in the evening, meaning his father would be waking up to lead the hunt any minute, he thought irritably. Not that he was ever allowed to go. With a disgruntled sigh and roll of his eyes, Adrien wrapped his arms across his face, muttering complaints as he did so. Between a horrible dream and knowing that his father was leaving him at home to piddle around, he was a little petulant.

“You awake, Sleeping Beauty?”

Moving his arms, Adrien cracked an eye open to see the black cat sitting on his nightstand, tail swishing cockily. The vampire rolled his eyes before frowning at the creature. “Not now, Plagg. I’m not in the mood.”

“When are you ever in the mood to do anything? All you ever do is mope around your room all day,” Plagg pointed out snarkily.

Adrien sighed, turning his head to glare at the cat. It was way too soon after waking for Plagg’s harassment. “Yes. Thank you for telling me. It’s not like I can go anywhere anyway.”

“Obviously not, since your pops keeps you locked up here like a princess in a tower. Do you think one day you’ll have a handsome prince call for you to let your hair down from the window?”

Giving the creature a flat look, he threw a pillow at Plagg. In response, the cat meowed in distress, trying to avoid the projectile shot at him. “Sometimes I question why I let you stay here.”

Plagg pushed the pillow away with his paw before answering. “We both know that you would shrivel from loneliness if I hadn’t stuck around.”

“But why? My father killed your witch. I still don’t understand why you’re willing to stay around. You should think I’m awful,” Adrien asked with a curious glance.

Plagg had been living in Adrien’s room for about a year now, much to the young vampire’s confusion and dismay. Gabriel killed the witch that Plagg was the familiar of and followed his father home. After being caught sneaking around by Adrien, he had decided to stay around, however, the young vampire is the only one who knows Plagg is capable of speech.

Licking a paw, the cat ignored Adrien’s questions, as was typical for their daily routine. Adrien was much like a cat on his own: full of curiosity. “I told you already, kid, I sensed something about you. That’s all.”

“Same answer you always give,” the vampire grumbled.

He didn’t understand why Plagg wouldn’t just tell him the truth, but he never pried. As much as it pained him to admit, he didn’t want to lose the little guy. Plagg was right when he said that Adrien would be awfully lonely without him as much as he hated to admit it. The annoying cat was there for him more than anyone else in Adrien’s life. A sad fate, he thought, when he really considered it. It wasn’t like Adrien had much choice. Ever since those dreaded witches murdered his mother, his father never let him leave the lair. Adrien was constantly under the watchful eye of someone from the clan. Typically, Nathalie or the Gorilla. Both were just as harsh on him as his father.

Adrien knew that if they would just give him a _chance_ to fight for himself, he could do it. He wasn’t defenseless. He wasn’t a child anymore. Well, technically, he was very young for a vampire. But, he was definitely a legal adult according to human standards. How would he ever venture out into the world? Meet a girl? Fall in love? Start his own section of the clan, and maybe even take over for his father, if he’s never allowed to step foot outside of the mansion walls?

But maybe… just maybe, he _could_.

Maybe, if he just took an opportunity into his own hands? He could hunt down a witch himself! He could kill a witch to prove himself to his father! Then his father would _have_ to believe him, right?

Sitting up sharply, Adrien clenched the covers tightly in his palms. He shifted the fabric in his fingers as he stared down at the foot of his bed.

“Hey, kid. I can see the gears turning in your head from here. What are you thinking?”

Adrien’s jaw tightened. He glanced up at the familiar. “Will you take me to a coven?”

Plagg’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits as he glared. “No way in hell.”

“I could easily threaten you, you know? I don’t have to keep you here. I could easily throw you to the streets. I only let you stay because I feel bad for you.” A lie. Plagg probably knew that too. He hated having to be harsh with the familiar, but Adrien had no choice.

“Adrien, I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

The vampire swallowed hard; throat tight. “One witch. If I could kill _one_ witch, maybe my father would finally respect me. I could finally leave this place.”

Plagg hung his head with sigh. “That’s a big maybe, kid. You know that’s not what you want.”

“I don’t have a _choice_,” Adrien hissed. “My father will never let me live a little until I can prove myself to him. So, either you take me to a coven or I find one myself. If I find one myself, I’m more likely to put a lot more witches in danger because the clan is out hunting. I won’t cause a scene, I swear. I’ll just take one.”

“That’s a lot easier said than done.”

“Yeah, well. You said I was different, right? What makes me so different? Am I as weak as my father says I am?” Adrien growled, throwing the sheets from his person. “That’s what he thinks of me! He tells me all the time. That I’m weak like my mother, so I’m an easy target. I keep hoping it’s just because I’m younger, but if I can never show him that I _am_ strong then I’ll never have the chance to get better,” he stood, huffing a breath. He shot a look to the familiar. “Are you in or not, Plagg?”

“I’m completely against this,” the cat groaned.

“Fine,” Adrien started towards the window only to have the sound of Plagg clearing his throat stop the vampire in his tracks.

“I’m against it,” Plagg continued, “but I want to make sure you don’t do anything stupid. I can’t have you causing a panic.”

Adrien nodded and swung the window open. “I promise I won’t.”

Plagg glowed before morphing into his smaller form, much like a tiny fairy. He had a green hue that shimmered in dark sky. Adrien focused all his energy and closed his eyes, feeling his form change as well. He felt himself shrink down, arms sprouting into wings and he flapped them naturally. His bat form was never that comfortable, but he didn’t mind it when necessary.

“Let’s go,” Plagg said and took off out of the window.

Adrien followed suit, keeping a watchful eye on Plagg’s glowing form, making it easier for him to keep up. Adrien contemplated what he was really doing as they flew. Was he really going to try to hunt and kill a witch all on his own? He had no choice, did he? It was surprising Plagg would betray witches so easily in order to help a vampire he barely knew. Though, he had to admit it felt a little guilty for threatening to throw Plagg out. He’d miss the annoying cat if he didn’t have him. Plus, he’d go back to utter loneliness.

As Adrien followed Plagg, he realized they were entering territory he didn’t recognize. Not that Adrien had been many places, it was just very different than he’d ever seen before. There were so many brick buildings that seemed to be their homes, much different than the mansion estates that vampires lived in. There were… cauldrons adorning different porches. Jeez, those were pretty tacky. This must have been the coven… but there were no witches alone that he could snatch. All of them seemed accompanied by another.

Buddy system… smart.

The were all so _happy._ They were together with family and friends. The seemed to gather and laugh. No one was even brewing in the cauldrons at that time. Weren’t witches smarmy and evil? Not even a single one of them was green!

The sound of a screech jolted him out of his thoughts. Startled, he lost concentration on his flying and had to regain his wits. Adrien watched as a witch fumbled while flying her broom. Her raven hair was pulled back into twin tails. They fluttered in the wind as she skittered across the sky. She bumped into a building and started into a downward tailspin between two buildings screaming as she did so…

That was the one.

o~o~o~o

“Damn… that really hurt, Tikki,” the witch grumbled, rubbing the newly sported sore spot on her side.

The scent of the witch’s blood hit is nostrils. He noticed a scrape on her knee which must’ve been why the smell was so strong. Licking his lips, he knew this was it. The girl was not a very strong witch from the looks of it. Obviously, not the most avid of flyers since he just saw her crash her broom on a clear night. This was the moment he could prove himself to his father. Maybe it was a little sleazy to go after a witch that was injured, but in that moment it didn’t matter.

Stepping forward, he shoes echoed off the alley walls. The witch spun quickly, eyes wide and cautious as he approached yet she stayed silent. When he saw her face, Adrien hesitated. Beautiful… She was beautiful. Weren’t witches supposed to be ugly? Like with warts and big noses?

Why did she have to be so damn cute!?

No. Focus. It doesn’t matter how cute she is, she was deadly. Evil. Witches were evil.

He had to be confident. He couldn’t be afraid. Adrien decided channeling his father’s attitude would be best for this situation. Don’t feel. No guilt. Think of what mother went through when she was attacked. Take all of that anger and make the most of it.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Adrien smarmed as he approached her tauntingly.

“Who are you?” she asked, lids narrowing and brows pinching.

With a laugh, he shook his head. “You shouldn’t be concerned with _who_ am so much as _what_ I am,” Adrien pulled the hood down, revealing his pointed ears. He grinned at her, fangs protruding in all their glory.

Her bluebell eyes blew wide. “Vampire.”

Taking another step closer, he smirked. “That’s right.”

For every step she took backward away, Adrien took two more closer to her. He could sense her panic and could hear every pounding beat of her heart. Good, she should be afraid in her last moments. Just as his mother was when her life was taken. Step by step, he tracked her until their little dance came to an end with her having backed herself into the corner, her back pressing against the brick wall.

With the panicked expression that etched across her features, Adrien knew the witch was aware of her fate. Holding her wand up, she sucked in a visible breath. “C-Come any closer or else I’ll turn you into a toad.”

Adrien snorted at her remark. With his enhanced speed, he had her in clutches within a moment. Hands placed on either side of her head, his body caged her in place. He was in the perfect spot to bite her and drink her dead right there. “Isn’t that what you all say?”

“Your earrings!” called a tiny voice. He glanced over his shoulder to see a red, small bug-like creature floating next to him. Her familiar, he surmised. Adrien swatted the thing away, sending it flying across the alley as it cried out.

Turning his attention back to the witch, Adrien gave her a good once over. His needle-sharp fangs protruded from his lips as he leaned in towards her neck.

“Kid! Don’t do it!”

Plagg’s protests from behind him made him pause. The desperation in the cat’s tone made him grimace, but he _had _to ignore him. Adrien had no choice. Proving himself to his father was all he had. When he lifted his head to silence the familiar with a hiss, he caught the frightened bluebell eyes of the witch beneath him instead. So much fear in those beautiful irises. Tears bubbled over her bottom lashes, and her entire body trembled beneath him. The wand was so close to slipping from her fingertips.

She was so afraid. Afraid of _him._ Wasn’t that what he wanted? To be feared? To kill witches and become powerful like his father?

…Would every witch he killed look at him like that beforehand?

Adrien’s fingers dug into the brick beside her head. With a remorseful sigh, the young vampire hung his head in defeat. He couldn’t do it. He was a weak disgrace to his family… but he _just_ couldn’t do it. Pushing off the wall, he gave the witch an apologetic gaze before crossing the alleyway. Pressing his back against the opposite wall, his knees buckled beneath him. Adrien crumpled downward to the cold ground, resting his face in his palms as he let out a sob.

Plagg approached him, placing a paw on Adrien’s knee. “I’m proud of you.”

Adrien peaked out through his fingers, giving the cat a harsh glare. “You’re not helping,” he growled.

“Why do you have a familiar?”

He flinched at the voice of the witch, head slinging upward so quick he almost cracked his head against the brick wall behind him. She was… she was _talking_ to him? Adrien stared at her flabbergasted. “W-What?”

The witch kept her distance and shuffled uncomfortably. Her wand was pointed straight at him as she clutched it in her quivering fingers. The tip hissed a harsh red much different than the bright glow from her empty threat earlier. He noticed the familiar had also recovered from the prior backhand he’d given it and the creature was perched on her shoulder, glowering at him with her little arms crossed. If looks could kill…

“_Why_ do you have a familiar?” she repeated, voice much harsher this time.

Adrien was in disbelief. He just tried to suck this girl dry and now she was making conversation? “I _did_ just try to kill you. You know that right? I wasn’t told that witches had goldfish memories.”

Her cheeks flared a hot red, brows pinching. The wand grew brighter. Yeah, maybe he was testing his luck, but being turned into a toad at this point would be a vast improvement to his miserable existence. “Shut up! I know that!” she paused, giving him a sideways glance. “But I can’t help but be curious,” she muttered.

Sighing, Adrien ran his hand through his tussled blonde locks. “He’s the familiar of a witch my father killed. He’s stuck around and harassed me ever since.”

Plagg grinned. “Yeah, well, we both know you would be lonely without me.” The cat looked at the witch, gesturing to the boy next to him. “This kid? He has zero friends. I’ve never seen someone so alone in my nine lives.”

Rolling his eyes, Adrien groaned. “Can you not share my personal information with people I just tried to murder? Thanks, okay.” He stretched his legs out in front of him, observing the witch above him. “Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know… _running_? Telling the entire coven ‘hey, vampire!’”

“I—I should…”

“And you’re not doing that because…?”

The witch smiled. “You don’t seem like a threat.”

Scoffing, Adrien leaned his head back against the bricks, shoulders slumping with disappointment. “Gee, thanks.” This girl sure knew how to take a jab at his self-esteem.

She moved closer taking a seat next to him, much to Adrien’s dismay. He scrambled away from her, staring the girl as if she’s grown a second head. Holding a hand up between them, Adrien points at her, completely exasperated. “W-What are you _doing?_”

“Sitting,” she chimed. “What’s it look like?” The witch asked with a shrug.

Placing a hand over his slow-beating heart, Adrien caught his breath. He surely thought she was going to come over and stake him. That wand was still glowing hotly in her hand, he noted. Was she really trying to be friendly with him? It didn’t make any sense. This girl was clearly _insane_. Boy, he knew how to pick his prey, didn’t he?

Blinking at her in incredulity, he shook his head. “You are way too calm for someone who almost got the blood sucked out them.”

She leaned back against the wall with a smile, shrugging as she turned her head to look at him. “Maybe so, but you’re different from other vampires, aren’t you?”

“D-Different?”

“Yeah, you’re different. You’re not a blood thirsty murder machine like everyone says vampires are.”

With a guilty laugh, he gave a lopsided shrug. “I guess it’s fair that your kind thinks that of us. We also have similar thoughts of witches.”

Humming, she nodded. “I figured,” she paused for a moment. “What’s your name?”

He gave her a cautious glance, eyes flicking up and down. “It’s Adrien,” he drawled slowly. He knew he shouldn’t ask, but he couldn’t stop his tongue from slipping up. “You?”

“Marinette,” she said, beaming as she did so.

_A very pretty name for a very pretty witch._ Adrien almost slapped himself at that thought. He can’t think a witch is pretty! Witches are the enemy. Flustered, he glanced away from her. “N-Nice name.”

“So, _Adrien_, why are you here?”

He didn’t want to think about how nice his name sounded coming out of her mouth. Shaking his head, Adrien focused on her question. “I’m… not really sure I should disclose that information.”

“Oh? Would you rather me tell the coven you’re here? Maybe turn you into a frog? Or we can go with a rat, if you’d like?”

She sure had gotten cheeky now that she had the upper hand over him. Maybe, he _should_ have bitten her when he had the chance. Drooping with defeat, Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine,” he side-eyed her. “You’re a real smartass, you know that?”

“I feel I have the right to be considering about five minutes ago you almost had your fangs in my neck, right?’

Adrien blinked silently, gritting his teeth. “Okay, anyway…” he paused. She was certainly feisty. He didn’t really _want_ to tell a witch about his family drama, but he could just give her the vague idea, right? God, those blue eyes made him want to melt and spill his guts to her. It wasn’t fair!  
“My mother… she was killed by a witch when I was young.”

Marinette’s shoulders drooped, and she glanced away from him. “I see… You want to avenge her death then?” 

Nodding, he sighed. “That’s what started it. It’s a bit more complicated than just that… My father seems to think I’m useless, so I just wanted to show him I could actually do _something_. But, I guess this isn’t the best way to prove it to him.”

“I think it’s better that it’s not… But don’t vampires kill humans to feed?” she asked.

He felt like that was a loaded question, but Marinette seemed to be genuinely curious. Adrien shook his head. “No… _I_ don’t, at least. I prefer practical ways, like stealing from blood banks.”

That earned him a laugh. God, even her laugh sounded like bell chimes… No! Bad Adrien. Stop! No thinking like that about a witch! Smiling at him, she shook her head. “I’m not sure how your moral compass works, but I guess it’s better than hunting them down like cattle.”

Adrien chuckled at her comment. “Yeah, well, I came here to hunt down a witch, but I didn’t know they could be so adorable.” The statement had slipped out, really. Fuck. He just called her adorable. Covering his mouth with his hands, he shot a sideways glance in her direction. Marinette’s cheeks pinked a little, while his own blush was so dark it resembled the blood he drank.

“Well… Th-Thank you.” Marinette said, fidgeting around where she sat. She gave a teasing smile as she glanced back over to him. “I didn’t know vampires could blush.”

Standing quickly, Adrien tried to recover from his embarrassment. He couldn’t recall ever being this flustered in his entire life. “Y-Yeah, well, I…I should go before my father notices I’m gone. I’m sorry… for what I did.”

Marinette stood too, coming closer to him with a nod. “I understand and apology accepted. Maybe… maybe we should try being friends?” she asked, holding a hand out to him.

Blinking in disbelief, Adrien’s jaw fell agape at her. “You… Really?”

A soft smile graced her features. “Yes, I mean it. Everyone makes mistakes, Adrien. You were just doing what you thought would make your father proud. Do you still want to drink my blood?”

Shaking his head, he gazed down guiltily. “Not if it involves hurting you… no.” That fear in her eyes… he never wanted to see that again.

“See, I knew I was right about you,” Marinette held her hand higher. “Friends?”

Adrien smiled with a nod. “Yeah, friends,” he replied as he took her hand. She was so warm compared to him. Could he hug her? No! That was inappropriate.

After letting go of his hand, she gazed back down shyly. “If… If it’s any consolation,” her bluebell eyes met his. “I think you’re pretty cute for a vampire.”

Plagg’s snickering did not go unheard from both parties. Adrien anxiously ruffled the back of his hair. “Y-Yeah! Well. Um. Thanks f-for saying that.”

Marinette smiled. “Will I ever see you again since we’re friends now?”

Calming himself, Adrien couldn’t help but smirk. “I’ll think about it.”

o~o~o~o

“Friends!? _Friends!?_ Marinette, what are you _thinking!?_ You can’t be friends with a vampire! Especially not ones that just tried to _kill_ you!” Tikki exclaimed as she hovered around Marinette.

Marinette sighed, sitting on her chaise. “I know I shouldn’t, Tikki, but… he was so cute though.”

“Marinette! You did _not_ just call a vampire cute!”

She waved off her familiar with a shake of her head and a laugh. “Lighten up. I didn’t die. He wasn’t that strong of a vampire. He’s obviously very young and inexperienced.”

“Experienced enough to corner and trap you. He would’ve killed you if he had been like any other vampire,” Tikki argued.

“He isn’t like any other vampire though, right? Besides, I can’t fulfill the prophecy if a weak vampire like Adrien takes me out. I was scared, but I knew I’d be fine. It’s why I didn’t try to do anything to him. He was afraid too. I could tell. No matter how much he tried to hide it behind that asshole façade,” Marinette explained as she stared up at her disgruntled familiar.

Tikki sighed, antennas drooping. “Marinette, this whole situation is so dangerous. If it gets out that you’re the witch chosen to end the war then you’re going to be in even more danger.”

“Please, Adrien won’t find out. I’ll keep my guard up and distance when I see him again.”

“See him again!? You were _serious!?_”

Sighing, Marinette eyed her familiar. “Tikki, if you keep being so loud you’re going to wake my parents. This whole vampire thing has to stay a secret.”

Running her paws down her face in pure dismay, the bug familiar glowered at her owner. “Are you really going to do this?”

“Think about it. This has to be some sign that will lead me to my destiny, right? It’s not every day that you casually run into a friendly vampire. If I can get close to Adrien, I can get an in and, hopefully, learn a way to defeat Gabriel Agreste. He _has _to be a part of that clan, right? Or at least knows of it. This is a_ good_ thing, Tikki. I promise. I can handle myself. Besides it looks like he needs it.” Marinette said with a soft smile, glancing down at her lap.

“What do you mean?”

She lifted her head, gazing out the window. “He looked so lonely…”

o~o~o~o

“Ugh! ‘I’ll think about it’? How lame! I really don’t know how to talk to people,” Adrien groaned as he flopped backwards onto his bed.

Plagg’s snickers did nothing to help his bruised ego. “You need to learn to talk to _girls._ Especially _cute witches._”

Eyes flashing red, Adrien sneered. “Shut up, Plagg.”

“Oh nooo,” the familiar waved a paw. “Those eyes are so scaryyy. Whatever will I do?”

The vampire rolled his eyes, glancing at the familiar in silence for a moment. He sat up, fiddling his fingers in his lap. “Do you really think she wants to be friends with me?”

“It’s what she said, wasn’t it?”

“But she could just be playing a trick. Witches are tricksters, aren’t they? What if she’s just trying to befriend me so she can lure me in and kill me? I wouldn’t blame her. Revenge would make sense,” the words just kept bubbling from his lips. He had so many fears at the thought of a new friend. Especially a friend he wasn’t even supposed to have.

Plagg hopped from the nightstand onto the bed beside the flustered vampire. He patted a paw on his thigh. “I think she meant it, kid. Witches aren’t as tricky as you think. I would know, wouldn’t I?”

Nodding, Adrien agreed. His chest was still tight with fear, but he knew that Plagg was certainly the witch expert in their companionship. “Yeah, you’re right.” He paused for a moment, thinking back to his moment with Marinette. His cheeks pinked a little. “Plagg… she called me cute.”

The cat familiar burst into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I'm SO excited to finally be sharing this story. I've been working on it and plotting it out since February! There's a lot to go through in this world, so I will admit there's a lot of exposition coming up, but I'm really glad I can finally get this story up and going. 
> 
> It'll be updated biweekly! There will be a new chapter up every Tuesday and Thursday of this month. Most of this story is already written, so I shouldn't have trouble staying on schedule, lol. 
> 
> Thanks you guys!
> 
> [tumblr](https://ashtheshortstack.tumblr.com)


	2. Some Call it Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is determined to find her again...

Sleeping was often a difficult task for Adrien, mostly because nightmares often plagued him. He’d often relive situations with his father, but his dreams would make them much more sinister and eerie. He felt a pain in his chest every time he’d awake from one of those intense night terrors. Sometimes he’d dream of witches capturing him and tormenting him, sometimes it was his father scolding him and leaving him to rot. There was no telling what type of torment his brain could concoct for him while he slept.

However, it had been a few nights since he’d met Marinette, and his brain had been oddly calm and kind to him. No vicious terrors or relived trauma for a few nights was a blessing for sure. He hadn’t expected to have a sweet dream of a giggling witch holding his hands with a faint blush on her freckled nose, that was for sure. But when he awoke with a smile on his face for the first time he could remember, he was thankful to have met her. He simply longed to find her again.

“Well, Romeo, that’s a love struct look if I’ve ever seen one,” Plagg teased as he hopped onto the bed beside the young vampire.

Adrien couldn’t stop the embarrassed flush that kissed his cheeks and the small smile that twitched its way to his lips. “Maybe,” he glanced out into the dark room. “It’s not fair. She shouldn’t be allowed to be so pretty.”

Plagg made a gagged sound. “Gross.”

Ignoring his familiar’s distaste, Adrien gaze a dream-dazed sigh. “You think I can see her again soon?”

The cat gave a hunched shrug. “Possibly. Your pops is going hunting again tonight, right?”

With an eager nod, Adrien beamed and checked the clock. He had about an hour before his father would leave. He hoped Marinette would be awake like she was the other night when they met. Maybe she’d be out flying again if he was lucky. He did worry about their sleep schedules being different effecting if he could visit her often. Witches may not need to be active at night like vampires did.

It was part of the life of being a “mythical” being. There was always a catch to their existence. For vampires, it was being allergic to _many _things, including sunlight. The one time Adrien even attempted to go out during the afternoon, he’d developed the worst rash of his life. Full of blistering hives and burnt skin. He remembered the pain and sobbing as his mother rubbed cream on the raw skin.

In retrospect, he really hadn’t realized how little he knew about witches until he started wondering how to maintain a friendship with one.

To his surprise, Adrien’s door creaked open and there stood Nathalie. Her arms were folded behind her back as usual, posture straight, and nose in the air. “Adrien, your father would like to see you.”

He tensed, sucking in a nervous breath. “May I ask what about?”

“I’m afraid I’m unaware of the nature of his request. I was only told to come fetch you,” she said with a shake of her head.

He slipped out of bed and paused, glancing down at his attire. “Should I get dressed?”

Nathalie gave him a pity smile. “I don’t think this is a proper matter, but he did sound urgent. Let’s go,” she said with a motion of her hand.

Adrien nodded, giving Plagg a quick concerned glance before following Nathalie out the door and down the halls. When she approached his father’s den, the crushing iron smell of blood hit Adrien’s nostrils. The scent was overwhelming to his senses, so much it almost gave him a headache. Adrien blinked away the watering in his eyes as Nathalie opened the door.

“I retrieved Adrien as you requested, sir.”

Gabriel spun in his chair, sitting straight with a whine glass full of bright red liquid that Adrien was positive wasn’t actually whine. His father’s elongated fangs protruded from his upper lip. Technically, as vampires got older, they could adjust the length of their fangs depending on the prey. Adrien just thought it was gaudy and something his father did just to appear more intimidating. Plus, he was still on the younger side, so Adrien wasn’t quite able to control his fangs yet. 

“Ah, I see that Nathalie just woke you,” his father sounded a bit amused, however, his face didn’t show the same. His brows stayed straight; eyes still as cold as ever.

Gulping, Adrien gave a polite nod. “Yes, Father. She said it was urgent that you speak to me.”

“Yes,” Gabriel took a sip of his glass before setting it down on his desk. His father properly folded his hands on the table, keeping sharp eyes on his son. Adrien felt the stare ripple through him. “Nathalie tells me you haven’t been leaving your room much lately. I’m concerned that you’re not getting enough substance in your diet. Blood is an important part of your consumption, and I fear you’ll fall into a frenzy if you don’t maintain it.”

“Oh, I’ve been drinking blood, Father, I promise. I just prefer eating solid foods. If there’s anyway we can make the blood more tolerable, then I’m sure I’d… consume enough,” Adrien explained. He decided to ignore the tidbit about staying in his room. Of course, he was staying in his room more. Plagg was much better company than the servant members of their clan. Nathalie didn’t like to humor him often, and the Gorilla didn’t speak at all.

“Son, we’re not humans. Eating human foods is not what sustains us. I know you’ve always been hesitant about drinking blood, but it’s what we must do. If you’re so insistent on cutting down on blood, then maybe I should start reserving some witch blood for yo—”

“No!”

Gabriel looked aghast at his son’s sudden outburst. Adrien froze, eyes wide and shoulders stiff. He was surprised himself. He hadn’t meant to burst out like that, but the thought of drinking witches’ blood was a hard no for him. Especially since he had just met one who he wanted to befriend. That sounded… immoral.

“S-Sorry,” he muttered, voice hoarse. “I’m just not interested in witch blood, Father.”

His father let out a hum, leaning over the desk. “I understand that new things tend to make you nervous. However, you will be carrying on my legacy one day, you realize. I suggest you get used to the scent and taste of it soon. Witch blood satisfies our thirst much longer than human blood does. It’s something to consider.”

Adrien swallowed thickly but bobbed his head in understanding. “Father, I don’t mean to disrespect you, but I’m still uncomfortable with the thought of hurting others in order to get their blood. I’m fine with getting blood already packaged instead of feeding.”

A chill went down his spine as his father snickered. “Adrien, don’t forget _what_ you are. We are vampires. We are at the top of the food chain. Humans, witches, and all creatures _fear_ us.” Gabriel tapped the table as he spoke. “_That_ is a reputation I intend on upholding.”

“Yes, Father,” Adrien replied robotically. Licking his lips, he gained a breath. “I will make sure that I’m taking care of myself as well.”

His father smirked, fangs gleaming with pride. It made Adrien uneasy to see his father in this predatory state. He just wanted to leave. Wanted to run away as fast as he could.

“Good, son. I’m glad we understand each other,” Gabriel stood, grabbing his cup and gulping down it’s contents. The smell was so potent. That wasn’t human blood, Adrien knew that for sure. His father harshly plopped the glass back onto the desk. “I will be leaving to hunt. We found a new coven recently, and I intend to make the most of it.”

Adrien’s heart fell, but he hoped his face didn’t show it. He felt his throat tighten. Please, not Marinette’s coven. That’s all he wished. Not hers.

“I expect that you’ll drink plenty of blood this evening, correct?”

His body felt heavy. “Yes, sir,” he murmured.

Had he made her coven a target by visiting? Did he leave her scent for his father to track? Adrien certainly prayed that was not the case. His father bid him farewell, telling him to go eat and be more aware of his blood intake. Adrien followed him from the office and watched him conjugate with the fellow clan members in the foyer.

All eyes were on him. The high clan members stared him down. Their gazes unwavering as he started down the stairs. He was stunned, though, to see his childhood friend standing among the members.

“Chloe?” he asked, mostly to himself.

His eyes were wide as she gave him a smirk and a tiny wave with her fingers. She wasn’t allowed to leave the group, so Adrien approached her instead. “Hey Adrikins,” she cooed.

“Chloe, what are you doing here?”

The blonde cocked a brow at him. She scoffed. “What do you mean? I’m hunting with the clan. What’s it look like?”

Blinking, Adrien definitely wore his confusion on his face. “_You’re_ hunting? We’re too young to join the elders for the hunt.”

Her posture changed, body loosening and her snobby posture changing to that of concern. “What? That’s ridiculous. We’re allowed to start hunting at sixteen.”

“Oh,” was all he could manage. His voice cracked a bit, his head hung low and the view of his shoes became a much better sight to behold than Chloe.

“Speaking of which, are you not joining us again this evening?” she asked as if she hadn’t just dropped an atomic bomb on him.

“I…I guess I’m not.”

He certainly recalled his father telling him that it would be years until he was old enough to hunt. Not that Adrien really wanted to, yet the fact that his father clearly thought so lowly of his abilities made him feel shameful. Swallowing, he gathered what little was left of his shattered pride. “I-I’ll see you later. Good luck.”

He left. Adrien started slowly, but once he was out of eyesight, he sprinted to his room. Slamming the door behind him, he leaned back against it, sliding down it slowly He groaned the entire way down. Hurt. Betrayal. Confusion. All of it swarmed in his gut. Was he really that much of a wimp to his father? He could have started hunting _two years_ prior and never was there even any mention of it. Was he a burden? A nuisance? His father didn’t want to deal with him on the hunt.

Gabriel _lied_ to him. Constantly telling him he was too young. Too inexperienced. That couldn’t have been it at all. How was he to get experience if his father never let him leave the mansion!? How _dare_ he!?

“Woah, Adrien, you okay?”

Adrien opened his eyes to see Plagg’s concerned gaze. At least _someone_ in this place cared about him. In a way, he guessed he should be grateful for his father’s decision. He would’ve never met Marinette, and if he was just like any other vampire, then Plagg probably wouldn’t have stuck around.

“Y-Yeah, I’m okay. Did you know that vampires start hunting at sixteen? And I’m eighteen and my father has just… conveniently forgotten to mention it for the last two years?” Adrien said, curling his knees to his chest.

Plagg trotted into the vampire’s lap. “I can’t say I know much about vampire traditions, but I _can_ say that I don’t think you’d be the kid I know now if you were like the rest of your clan.”

He couldn’t help but smile and give Plagg a scratch under his chin. The familiar let out a brief purr, soothing Adrien’s heartache a little. “Thanks, Plagg.”

Opening his eyes, Plagg’s voice went flat. “What did he want?”

Rolling his eyes, Adrien sighed. “The usual scolding of me living my life. Father can’t seem to accept I’m not a blood-thirsty monster like he is. He yelled at me for not drinking enough. He even offered me witch blood, but I said no.”

Placing a paw on Adrien’s shoulder, the familiar smiled. “I’m proud of you.”

Adrien grinned. “I knew you liked me! You just pretend to be annoyed.”

“Ugh! Shut up,” Plagg pounced away and put a distance between the two of them. The familiar could pretend all he wanted, but Adrien knew he cared about him. “Anyway! Weren’t you wanting to visit a certain witch?”

Gasping, Adrien jumped to his feet. “Plagg! My father said he found a new coven! You don’t think I led him right to them, do you?”

Plagg hissed and started towards the window. “The likelihood is low. That’s the most protected coven in the area. We should check though. Your father should have left by now, so let’s go.”

Adrien watched the familiar shrink down small, taking his tiny form and floating towards the window. He followed suit by transforming into a bat, flapping his wings to catch up with the familiar. The two took off through the window. Adrien looked down and saw his clan marching off together in the opposite direction. He felt slight relief washing over him. If they were going a different way, then hopefully it wasn’t Marinette’s coven that they found.

o~o~o~o

Adrien was thankful to see Marinette’s coven still intact when he and Plagg approached it. All of the witches still seemed carefree and happy with their families. There seemed to be a street market this that day. Witches were exchanging goods in carts. It was probably potion materials.

“They look fine,” he mused.

Plagg hummed in agreement. “Yeah. If you’re going to meet Marinette, you should probably find somewhere just outside of the coven.”

“You’re right, but I have to find her first.”

Plagg chuckled. “We already have.”

Adrien’s head shot up. The familiar was right. None other than Marinette was soaring on her broom again. Her familiar was perched on her shoulder as they flew. It appeared that they were conversing with one another. Adrien hated to interrupt… no. Actually. He didn’t. He was just too excited to see her.

Flapping his wings, he sped up to catch up to her. “Marinette!” he called.

She perked up at the sound of her name. The witch glanced around, trying to find the source of the voice.

“Marinette!” he repeated as he finally fluttered beside her. She turned, making eye contact with him. “Hey,” he said.

Marinette _shrieked._ Her broom wobbled as she lost concentration. She leaned forward, gripping the broom as it began to sputter and fly back and forth in the air. His heart pounded. He hadn’t meant to scare her!

Granted, maybe approaching her as a talking bat wasn’t the _best_ of ideas.

Her broom began descending quickly. Marinette wound her legs around it and pulled back on the handle in an apparent attempt to slow down the falling broom. It didn’t help much. She was dropping quickly towards a bundle of trees just outside of the coven streets. He couldn’t just let her crash into a tree! She’d be a witch pancake if she hit a trunk too hard.

“Hang on! I got you!” Adrien called as Marinette continued her panicked maneuvers.

Her broom caught between two branches, the momentum sending the witch flying forward. Adrien moved quickly, changing out of his bat form in midair, and catching Marinette in his arms. He clutched her to his chest as his back slammed on the ground. He skidded across the dirt, shoulders digging into the surface as his legs wound around Marinette, keeping her still. They came to rapid halt when Adrien’s back rammed into a tree.

With a grunt, Adrien grabbed his head. He breathed heavily, huffing to catch his breath. Cracking an eye open, he looked down at a flustered Marinette. Her cheeks were red, eyes wide, mouth agape. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She jumped off him, scooching away with arms held up in front of her. “Oh, my God! Are _you_ okay?”

Adrien sat up with a chuckle, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head from the blow. “I’m okay. Vampires are pretty sturdy.”

“I didn’t know you could turn into a bat!” she exclaimed, obviously still stunned by the whole ordeal.

With a nervous laugh, he looked down at his lap. “S-Sorry, it was an accident—”

“Well, you _should_ be sorry!” her little bug familiar piped in. “She crashed her broom _again_ and it was your fault! She could have been killed!”

Jeez. The little creature sure knew how to make him feel like shit. “I didn’t mean—”

Marinette sighed, snatched the red familiar away from him. “Tikki, lay off. It was my fault. I lost focus so my broom lost control. Leave Adrien alone.” She glanced at Plagg, who had returned to his cat form. “Why don’t you two go play nice?” Marinette smiled as she shooed her familiar over towards Plagg.

“Fine,” Tikki grumbled and began floating towards Plagg. “But I’m still watching you,” she finished giving Adrien one last glare.

Damn. That ice-cold look sent a shiver down his spine. He’d never felt so hated before. It wasn’t like Adrien didn’t understand. He did almost kill her owner twice now…

Marinette scooted closer, taking a seat beside him. He couldn’t help how his heart seemed to beat faster when she was around. Adrien glanced away anxiously. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” she said and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I understand.”

Adrien looked up, smiling slightly. Why did she make him so nervous? He couldn’t understand it. “Do you make it a habit to crash your broom often?”

She let out a sweet laugh shaking her head in earnest. “No, I only seem to do that when a certain vampire is around”

He couldn’t help the laugh that spilled out. “Maybe, I should leave you alone then?”

“No,” she said immediately. Marinette gave him a kind pat on the shoulder. “I think I’ll survive.”

Sitting up straighter, Adrien puffed up his chest. “Well, I _did_ save you.”

She let out a snort. “Yeah, uh huh. We’ll call it even since you tried to drink my blood a few days ago.”

With a grimace, Adrien clenched his jaw. She didn’t have to remind him. He’d been living with the guilt ever since he did it. “Sorry about that… again.”

“It’s okay. It meant something to you. I was an easy target. Besides, I think it worked out the end for us, right? I made a new friend out of the whole ordeal,” Marinette chimed with a smile.

He didn’t deserve to be in the presence of such a kind heart. Adrien wasn’t sure how he got so lucky so meet her. Nodding, he agreed. “Right.”

There was beat of silence. Adrien wasn’t quite sure what to say. He’d been so excited to see her again that he hadn’t considered that the whole interaction might be awkward. He didn’t know what to talk about. She kept calling him a friend, but he wasn’t sure what friends did. Or how to interact. The only girl he’d ever spoke to was Chloe, and that was more him telling her what to do rather than a mutual friendship.

“Sooooo, um. I wasn’t really prepared on what to say,” she started, sucking on her bottom lip.

Adrien ruffled his hair at the base of his neck. “Yeah, me neither. I didn’t mean to make this weird.”

“No, no! You’re okay. Let’s try to make it not weird. Why not just… talk about each other’s kind? Obviously, I don’t know much about vampires since you’re the first one I’ve ever seen. I know the general look, the ears, the fangs, but I didn’t know you could turn into a bat.”

Adrien hummed. “Well, vampires have three forms. Our natural form is the one I’m in right now.”

“Huh. I didn’t know vampires had so many special tricks. I thought you guys just… growled and drank blood.”

He snorted with a grin. “I only growl sometimes. Anddd, I have _plenty_ of special tricks. Like we have very good sense of smell and we can control our teeth.”

She cocked a brow. “Control your _teeth?_”

He nodded lifting his lip with a finger to show his fangs. “We can control our fangs eventually. It’s like an adjustment for the size of the prey. I’m technically too young to be able to do that yet.” Or so he thought. Could just be another lie made up by his father.

She looked at him with disbelief. “Huh. That’s… cool, I guess. Have yours ever, I don’t know, just popped out before?”

“I guess? Mine have only gotten longer when I drink blood or go into a frenzy.”

Marinette let out a nervous laugh, glancing away from him and rubbing her arm slowly. “Yeah, I’ve heard about those.”

Adrien did his best to comfort her with a small smile. “Don’t worry. I have a decent control over mine. It’s been almost a year since I’ve done that. As long as I maintain a good diet, I’m fine.”

“Oh? And what’s a good vampire diet consist of? Maybe, I need tips,” she giggled.

Needed tips? For what? She was beautiful.

He chuckled. “Oh yeah? Well, you may have to take a liking to blood since that’s mostly what we consume. But with a bit of human food. Like…” he paused to think. “You know the stereotype that human models barely eat anything? It’s like that. I only eat a small portion a day then drink blood the rest of the time. If I eat too much normal food, I’ll get sick.”

She seemed so genuinely interested. Marinette nodded in agreement, tapping a finger on her chin. “Oohhh. Huh. That must suck. I love eating sweets until I can’t taste salt anymore,” she replied with a giggle. She looked him over and smirked before tilting her head. “Witches eat people food, if you were wondering.”

“Really? And here I thought you guys ate rats you stewed in a cauldron. Sometimes human children if they stumble upon your secluded homes in the woods,” he mused.

He was worried that he had overstepped with that joke when she stayed silent for a moment. She stared at him as he gave her a simple hint of a smirk. Marinette sputtered before snickering behind her hand. “Oh, you’re joking.”

Barking out a laugh, Adrien grinned. “I was. Unless…”

She gave him a playful push to the shoulder. “Shut up.”

Adrien couldn’t help the joy the teasing and laughing brought to him. He paused, smiling at her as Marinette caught his gaze. Those bluebells sent him into a daze. She was so pretty. No one should be allowed to be so gorgeous. Her skin was like porcelain, the faint freckles that dusted her nose were too cute. His heart fluttered as her eyes bore into his.

Marinette’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly turned away. “A-Anyway, you were saying? About vampires?” she asked with a sideways glance.

“R-Right, um, yeah. Where was I?”

“Hmm,” she tapped a finger to her bottom lip. Adrien was ashamed to admit he tracked the motion, enthralled with how pink and pouty those lips were. “You were saying that vampires have three forms, right?”

“Oh! Yeah. So, this form, the bat form, and then… uh… the one that’s both? I don’t think we have a name for it, necessarily. It’s not used very often. I’ve—I’ve never actually done it before,” Adrien confessed. It probably wasn’t the smartest idea to tell her about the third form. It wasn’t known that vampires had the third form. Most people who witnessed it… didn’t live to tell.

“Wait, so… what is it? You’re vampire but a bat too?”

Adrien hummed in agreement. “Yeah, I’d look like this but with some added bat features.”

Marinette sat up, scooching to sit in front of him instead of to his side. She definitely seemed interested in his life. It was flattering to him. “Does that mean you sprout wings?”

“Yeah. We have wings and claws. I think fangs tend to get longer too. Plus, the red eyes,” he explained. He bit his lip to hide the chuckle from bubbling out. She looked so at awe at the information coming out of his mouth.

“Red eyes?” she asked.

“Yeah. Our eyes tend to turn red when we frenzy too… Or when—” he stopped, tongue heavy in his mouth.

“When…?”

“When vampires drink witches’ blood,” he finished reluctantly. The sorrowful look on her face didn’t help matters. He wished he hadn’t brought it up at all.

Marinette stayed silent, staring down at her lap. “Do you drink it too?”

“No!” he said quickly with a shake of his head. God, that was the last thing he wanted her to think. He’d never had it. Never wanted it. He saw how…_ eccentric_ it made the other vampires. It seemed like too much of a boost. He was afraid of it. The only reason he was going to drink from Marinette was to prove to his father he wasn’t useless. After the information he learned today, that effort may have been futile anyway.

“You don’t? You’ve never?”

“No, I’ve never drank it,” Adrien insisted. She still seemed wary of him, fiddling with her fingers in her lap and avoiding eye contact. With a quick glance over at the conversing familiars, Adrien gestured to Plagg. “Hey! Plagg can vouch for me. Have I _ever_ had witches’ blood?”

Plagg shook his head. “Nope, never. His dad even yelled at him about it today. He came back to his room upset about it.”

Adrien gave the cat a flat glare. “All you had to say was ‘no.’ I didn’t ask for the details of my life to be shared, thank you.”

After giving the familiar a small smile, Marinette gave him a concerned gaze. “Does your father yell at you often?”

Giving a lopsided shrug, he glanced away. “It’s… just something he does,” he murmured. There was a beat of silence. He glanced up, meeting the troubled look that glowed in those beautiful blue irises of hers. He didn’t want this to become a pity party for him. He’d already dealt with him enough that evening. Sucking in a breath, Adrien popped up straight and forcing a cheerier tone. “A-Anyway! Is there anything I should know about witches?”

Marinette seemed to get the hint to drop the subject. She recollected herself, sitting up straighter. “U-Uh, well! We have lots of festivals. We tend to visit one another often. Covens are very close-knit communities that spend a lot of time together. We all have familiars, obviously,” she said gesturing to her grumpy familiar. Her arms flailed wildly as she spoke. Adrien couldn’t help but find all of her mannerisms to be super adorable. “We… don’t melt when you throw water on us.”

“Oh, good to know,” he snickered.

“Yeah, so if you were planning to off me by throwing me in a lake, you’re going to have to find another way.”

With a grin, he shook his head. “I would never,” he said softly. Her cheeks flushed a little as her mouth formed a small o shape. Maybe that was too sincere for a time while they were still getting to know each other. Clearing his throat, he fiddled with his hair. “I-If you were trying to get rid of me by shucking me out into the sun, I won’t turn to dust. I just get a rash. Like a bad sunburn. Makes me sneeze too.”

Marinette laughed. “ So, that’s why you come here at night?”

He nodded.

She perked at that, tapping her chin with a hum. “You know, there’s a lot of legends and rumors about what hurts vampires. What if you just correct a lot of those for me… like… a question lightning round?”

He snorted but didn’t hesitate. “Sure.”

“Hmmm… okay. Is a stake to the heart the actual only way to kill a vampire?”

“Uh, that’d kill anybody, Marinette.”

“Are you actually dead?”

“No, we have blood and we’re living. It just pumps slower because our chemical make-up is different.”

“Does that mean you live forever?”

“No. Just longer than the average human.”

“What? Really? Us too!”

“How old?”

“About to two hundred or so?”

“Huh. Vampires too.”

“Nice!” she held a fist out, gazing at him expectantly.

Adrien blinked before slowly lifting his fist to bump his knuckle against hers. She beamed happily at him, and he couldn’t help but find her smile so infectious. He laughed. A laugh of pure joy and happiness. Something he hadn’t felt since his mother was around. He’d hardly known this girl, but jeez she made him so thrilled to exist.

“S-So, uh,” he seemed to find his voice again, beginning to speak. “Got anymore juicy secrets about witches?” God, he just needed the subject off of him for a moment. A breather would be nice.

“Well, obviously, we live high class lives full of high-quality food stewed in caldrons. We also have professional broom riding,” she boasted with a puff of her chest.

Adrien leaned back against the tree, crossing his arms. “I take it that’s not your hobby.”

Scoffing, she feigned a hurt expression and pressed a palm to her chest. “Honestly, how dare you assume that. You don’t think I’m good enough to be a professional?”

“Considering when I first met you, you crashed your broom on a clear night, yeah. I would assume that,” his voice oozed so much sarcasm.

Marinette cracked a smile. “Yeah, well, who needs professional broom riding anyway? I don’t see how they do it. Broom riding takes so much focus and energy. I can’t stay on one as long as they do.”

“It’s okay. I think that’s a special quality about you.”

Her cheeks dusted rose and she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “You think so?”

Adrien sat up, smiling as he did so. “Yeah, one of many.”

Gazing at him with those blue eyes, smile turned shy. “I have special qualities?”

“Yeah, of course you do. Obviously, you’re brave and a little crazy for even wanting to talk to me after the whole… uh, _incident_. You’re pretty, charming, and funny. I like being around you. And—uh—I wouldn’t mind meeting up with you more. And learning more about you. So that I can find _more_ special qualities to tell you about.”

Marinette nodded, the sweet expression never leaving her face. “Okay. How about we meet again right here tomorrow?”

“You… really want to?”

Smiling, a hesitant hand hovered over his shoulder to shyly pat him. Adrien pretended the slight, gentle touch didn’t send tingles through his skin to his chest. Her voice was soft, the tender gaze never leaving her face. “Yeah, I do.”

Her grin was infectious as Adrien couldn’t help the twitching of his lips. “I’d like that.” Pausing, he turned away from her for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip. Leaning over towards her, he cupped his hand around his mouth in a mock whisper. “Between you and me… I don’t have any friends?”

Marinette let out an exaggerated gasp. “Really?” she asked, flopping her hands on her lap. “I really would have never known.”

Adrien laughed. “Yeah. What a surprise, right?”

“Well,” she said glancing away for a moment. “You do now.”

o~o~o~o

“See, Tikki, I told you,” Marinette boasted, puffing up her chest with confidence as she entered her room. “I knew I could learn about vampires by talking to him. And he didn’t suspect a thing about it. It was all just small talk.” She made her way over to her closet, opening the doors to pull out her pajamas for the evening.

Tikki crossed her arms giving her owner a flat look. “Are you trying to convince _me_ you don’t like him or yourself?”

Pausing, Marinette turned to face her familiar. She tilted her head and cocked a brow. “What do you mean?”

“You _like_ him. _A lot_.”

“Ha!” she let out a snort then snatched a t-shirt and polka-dot pjs out of the closet. “Yeah, right. This is research to defeat the Agrestes. Like learning vampires have three forms. That’s interesting, huh?”

Tikki squinted. “You told him he was your friend. Emotional manipulation of someone who is clearly lonely is cruel.”

“Stop it! I _am_ his friend. He’s sweet, okay? If he needs me to be there for him then I will.”

“So, it’s _not_ research?”

“It’s both!” she cried. Marinette groaned, stuffing her face into her change of clothes. “Tikki, stop hounding me about this. I don’t know what I’m doing!”

The familiar sighed, floating over to her owner with reluctance. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know… I do like him in a friendly way. He obviously has a bad life at home. I know vampires probably aren’t the most nurturing of creatures, but Adrien seems sweet enough. He’s been through a lot with his mother. I’m starting to think his dad isn’t the best parent from what Plagg hinted at today,” she explained.

“Speaking of Plagg, we did have a conversation about Adrien. He told me a little more about him.”

Marinette finally shucked off her shirt, tossing it into the hamper before pulling her large t-shirt over her head. “Really?” she asked as she popped her head through the shirt. “Like what?”

Tikki grimaced, rubbing a paw along her arm. “Well, you were right about his father. Apparently, he’s very harsh and cold towards Adrien.”

She felt her shoulders deflate. “He doesn’t deserve that…”

“No… he doesn’t. I know I’ve been difficult with him, but I’m just doing my job to protect you. Plagg said Adrien stays in his room most days to talk to him. And that his father keeps him sheltered away from the rest of the clan.”

Heaving a sigh, Marinette popped open the button of her jeans and slid them off her hips. Tikki’s words were heavy on her shoulders. No one deserved to be hidden away from the world. Not even a vampire. She stepped into her pajamas as tears bubbled in her eyes. Marinette quickly blinked them away with a sniffle. Adrien really did try. She knew he did.

It didn’t make any sense. Why was she doing this to herself? Marinette was starting to question her sanity. This was a vampire. The ones who hunted down her kind like turkeys for a Thanksgiving feast. The boy tried to drink her. And it had terrified her. But when she saw that guilt-ridden expression on his face when he pushed away from her, she couldn’t help but have sympathy for him. He was clearly a broken soul. His mom was killed by witches, which should have made him much more hate-filled than he was. Anyone raised to hate an entire race wouldn’t so easily give up those feelings. But he had.

She couldn’t help but wonder if this was really blessing of fate. Marinette knew her purpose was to defeat the Agreste clan. It was a prophecy assigned to her at birth. It was why she was gifted the earrings by Master Fu at her sixteenth birthday. And suddenly, two years later, a vampire practically falls in her lap. A vampire who has never killed a soul in his life? Could it have been destiny that brought Adrien to her? Who knew, really?

o~o~o~o

Adrien tip-toed into the kitchen. He knew he father and Nathalie were still out hunting with the rest of the clan, but the Gorilla was around guarding the house somewhere. He grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich with a glass of blood to go with it. The last thing he wanted was to accidently frenzy around Marinette, so he needed to keep up his strength. He noticed a block of camembert sitting on the counter. Plagg hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday, and there wasn’t any chicken or fish in the fridge… he’d already checked.

With a lopsided shrug to himself, he cut two slices from the wheel. He plopped the slices onto his plate, careful not to get the stinky cheese on his sandwich. Adrien quietly snuck back to his bedroom. He scooted onto his bed, careful not to spill anything.

Plagg hopped onto the comforter, eyeing him. Adrien held up a slice of camembert. “There was no chicken or fish, so you’ll just have to go with this tonight.”

“Is that _cheese_? I’m a _cat_, Adrien. Not a mouse,” Plagg hissed. Adrien didn’t hesitate, just continued to hold the cheese out for the cat to take. Plagg glowered at his kindness. Leaning forward, he took a tiny bite. Adrien chuckled when the familiar’s eyes lit up, taking larger bites.

Adrien took his sandwich from the plate and pushed the cheese towards Plagg. Sucking the blood from a straw, he watched the familiar munch down on the camembert. He gazed up at Adrien with wide eyes. “Kid, this is the best thing I ever tasted.”

Adrien had to keep himself from snorting the blood out of his nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there's a lot of exposition, but this story does involve a lot of plot with only ten chapters. Sooo...
> 
> I'm really excited about this story, honestly. Chapter 3 will be up next Tuesday!


	3. Drops of Sunlight

“So, what’s your family like?” Adrien asked.

The pair sat together beneath the tree where Marinette had crashed her broom all those weeks ago. They’d begun meeting up there on a regular basis. Adrien informed Marinette of their hunting schedule, so he could sneak out to see her. After a few days, she decided to start bringing a blanket for the two of them to share. She’d lay it out like the two of them were having a picnic.

It was nice. Something so simple. He hadn’t ever experienced something like this. There were many times when they were out there, he was tempted to make a move. Wrap an arm around her shoulders. Hold her hand. Something… But he never got the guts.

Marinette hummed, gazing up at the stars above. “My parents are wonderful. They’re my coven’s bakers. They bake bread and sweets. They’re just… very warm, loving. They are attentive and supportive.”

Adrien couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes lit up when she spoke of her parents. He remembered his mother being warm like that. They used to spend so much time together. So many emotions swirled inside his chest. He desperately longed to feel that love again. The way Marinette described her parents sounded so wonderful. Why couldn’t he have that? Why didn’t his father love him like that? His throat felt tight, eyes glazing over. He sat up, sniffling and wiping his eyes quickly.

She followed, rubbing a hand gently on his shoulder. “Adrien?” she asked, voice full of concern.

“I wish… I wish I knew what that felt like,” he confessed. His groveled tone of his voice felt foreign. He’d never heard himself sound so raw with emotion when speaking. It scared him. He didn’t know how to talk about what he felt.

Marinette’s eyes were wide. Those bluebells looking at him with so much pity. She squeezed his shoulder. He’d never been comforted like this before. Not since he was young and his mother was with him.

She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m so sorry.”

Forcing a smile, he shook his head. “Thank you. B-But you don’t need to worry about me. I’m okay. I’m glad you have a happy family. What about friends? Do you have friends?”

Marinette seemed cautious when she spoke this time. “Y-Yes. My best friend Alya, and I hang out with her boyfriend too. His name is Nino.”

Swallowing, Adrien nodded. “I-I see. Sooo… how does that work here? Courting, I mean.”

She snorted at him. “Vampires call it ‘courting?’ We call it ‘dating.’”

He’d been under the presumption that vampires were a little older fashioned. Not that he knew much about his own society, let alone the rest of the world. Just from what he gathered from talking to Marinette the last few weeks, it told him how… _dated_ vampire traditions were. Maybe, it was because their society was so old. Who knew?

“How do you date people, then?” he asked.

“Well, we just like someone and date them? Why? Is that not how you do it?”

Laughing nervously, he fiddled with his hair. “We do that too, but if we’re not married by twenty-five then we’re forced into an arranged marriage.”

Marinette seemed surprised by the admission. Another emotion crossed her face, but Adrien couldn’t seem to decipher her. His instincts seemed to fail him at times. He was supposed to be able to sense strong emotions, but Adrien couldn’t seem to pick hers up often.

“You have a few years, right?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, I do. Knowing my luck, my father would stick me with someone awful. He doesn’t really care about how I feel about others too much.”

“The more you talk about your dad, the more I hate him.”

Snickering, Adrien jabbed his thumb in Plagg’s direction. “Join the club. Plagg’s the leader. There might be an initiation, so you’ll have to ask.”

Marinette grinned. “Is Plagg going to haze me?”

“He may just make you buy him camembert. It’s his new favorite food,” he joked.

“A cat who likes cheese… Huh. That makes sense though. Familiars aren’t like normal pets. They take on traits of their owners,” she said.

Tilting his head, the blonde gave her a puzzled look. “Really?”

She hummed and nodded. “Mmmhm! If it’s not you that likes camembert, then it’s probably a trait left over from his previous owner. Even if Plagg didn’t know his owner liked camembert. The—The warlock that Plagg was a familiar of… Tikki told me the kid was young. Sometimes, if a familiar has a super close bond with their owners, the familiar dies with them. But since Plagg and his owner didn’t get the chance to bond, he didn’t have that consequence,” she explained. There was a wavering in her voice.

He could tell she was sparing him the details of whatever his clan did to this kid. Probably killed his whole family. Adrien wouldn’t doubt that. Vampires could be ruthless when it came to getting what they wanted.

Adrien sat silently, mulling over the conversation. “What age do you get your familiars?”

“We’re matched with a familiar at the age of ten. It’s like our coming of age gift when turn double digits,” she told him. She paused a moment, licking her lips in thought. “D-Don’t feel guilty for what happened, okay? Plagg is clearly forming a bond with you. He couldn’t do that if there wasn’t something he liked about you.”

“I knew it,” Adrien murmured. He perked up calling up to Plagg in the tree above them. “I knew you liked me, Plagg!”

He hissed, tail bristling. “Whatever she told you, it’s a lie!”

Marinette laughed at the exchange. God, he loved her laugh. It sounded like chimes on a windy day. He wanted nothing but to hear that sound for the rest of his life.

Adrien fell back onto the blanket, curling his arms beneath his head. Marinette followed suit, lying down beside him. They sat in a comfortable silent for a few moments. Plagg glowered at him before turning his attention back to Tikki, making Marinette let out a soft giggle again. He was so happy with her. He didn’t know it was possible to feel this warm inside. This was friendship… and he was so grateful to experience it. Even if it was taboo, he didn’t care.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when her fingers pinched at his ear. Glancing sideways at her, he noticed her amused smile. Adrien cocked a brow, eyeing her curiously. “Uh… Something wrong?”

Marinette yelped, jerking her hand back. “Sorry! I just… Your ears are cute.”

He sucked in a breath, lips going into a flat line as his cheeks warmed. Oh, God. She was going to be the death of him… and he was supposed to have like another hundred and eighty years on his life.

“You think so?” he squeaked.

She laughed. “Yeah. I do.”

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “That’s not fair. Vampires have all types of stereotypical quirks. But you don’t have warts or a green skin.”

Marinette sat back up, leaning over him with a smile. “Maybe, you’re not looking close enough.”

Adrien pushed himself up. Leaning towards her, he made a show of squinting and searching her face. He pretending to look for any bumps or blemishes, but instead he noticed she had a dusting of adorable freckles sprinkled along the bridge of her nose. He gulped. She was too cute. Heart beating quickly, his eyes dared to glance at her leaps before he retreated. His cheeks felt so hot.

“W-Well, you lied. I didn’t see anything,” he murmured, pouting.

Marinette smiled, giggling at his expense. “Sorry,” she teased, shrugging with using her hands in the gesture.

Swallowing, Adrien gathered his courage. “You know… I’ve never felt so comfortable talking to someone like I do with you. I can joke around with you, and we make each other laugh. It’s nice…”

She ruffled his hair affectionately. “That’s what friends are for, silly. We’re supposed to enjoy each other’s company.”

He smiled. “I’m glad I met you, Marinette.”

She gaped, a little stunned at his admission before nodding in agreement. “Yeah, I’m glad I met you too, Adrien,” she smirked. “Even if it was a rough start.”

He groaned. Marinette loved joking about this far too much. Rubbing his temples, he frowned. “Jeez, don’t remind me.”

“Hey,” she patted his shoulder. “It’s alright. You didn’t eat me. I forgive you.”

Adrien gave her a sideways look. “I’d hope so. Considering you spend time with me every other day.”

“Which I also enjoy. It’s nice having someone to talk to about anything.”

He chuckled, flashing his fangs in a purely grin. “I agree. We talk about some wild things.”

“We do. And we’ve learned a lot about each other. Even though we’re pretty different, witches and vampires do have a lot in common too. I think… I think our kinds could get along again someday.”

Smiling, he nodded. Oh, how he wished. He wanted to be able to walk hand in hand with her without being judged. Without worrying for her safety. Adrien had avoided admitting it before… but he was falling for Marinette…

Hard.

o~o~o~o

A few nights later, he beat Marinette there. He wanted to get out of his home asap. Adrien hated being cooped up in that dark mansion. The witch came traipsing into woods, their usual blanket strewn along one arm, and a large basket hanging off the other. It’s the most like a fairy-tale character she’d ever looked.

She wore a cute dress. It was red with black spots littered around on the top near her chest. The red was a lacy black that stopped at her knees. And, to his surprise, she actually wore a pointed witch hat. She shouldn’t be so cute. He thought the concept of witches hats never made sense but seeing Marinette wear one changed his mind. He was so lucky to know her.

Pulling his dark hoodie off his head, he tilted his head at her. “Hello, little red ladybug, bringing some treats to your grandmother?”

Marinette rolled her eyes, setting down the basket. “No, I was bringing some treats for a smartass vampire. I’m questioning now if he deserves them.”

“Oh, he does. He’ll wolf them down.”

She paused, blinking at him. “Was… Was that a pun?”

Adrien grinned, giving a lopsided shrug.

Marinette laughed. “You’re definitely not getting any sweets now.”

Dejected, he puffed out his bottom lip, giving the best puppy pout he could muster. She flicked him on the forehead. Adrien yelped, rubbing the sore spot. “That was rude.”

Marinette began to unfold the blanket. Adrien eyed the basket of goodies. "You didn't spike those with garlic, did you? I don't want to go into anaphylactic shock and keel over before I even get to truly live." 

"You really are allergic to almost everything, huh?" 

Adrien shrugged. "It's a gift." 

He couldn't help but search her. Eyes wandering along the pompously poofy dress she wore. The sleeves were big on her arms, and the outfit flared out at her hips. Marinette seemed to notice his stare as she looked down at her choice of clothing. "We had a festival today, okay? We’re supposed wear traditional clothing that embodies familiars,” she quickly explained. 

Ohhh. So, that’s why she was dressed like that. The red and black was to represent Tikki. That made sense. Witches had pretty interesting traditions.

His recognition must’ve been clear on his face when she gave him a shy smile. Adrien glanced away shyly, before giving her a sideways look and shifting awkwardly. “Do you… Do you think I’ll be able to see a festival sometime?”

Marinette seemed stumped by his question. Clearing her throat, she went back to laying out the blanket as she spoke. “M-Maybe. I hope there’s a day when vampires and witches get along again. But—uh—right now, no. Familiars can smell vampires from a mile away.”

Confused, Adrien felt his ears perk. “What? Really? Did Tikki smell me the first time I came here?”

She smoothed the blanket out, patting for him to come sit. Adrien did so, crawling over to take the spot next to her. Marinette reached into the picnic basket, taking out two eclairs. One for each of them. When she handed him the treat, her fingers brushed his. Adrien’s fingertips tingled at the touch.

“Tikki was sick the first time you came. I was flying us back home from the healer when I crashed. She still wasn’t in tip-top shape yet. She wanted me to do a big spell on you to protect myself, but I chose not to. For her safety… and the fact that you didn’t seem like a blood thirsty monster.”

He watched as Marinette took a bite of the treat. As if she hadn’t just told him she’s capable of powerful magic. Adrien followed suit, taking a bite of the sweet. Jesus… okay. Anything Marinette made was officially the greatest thing he’d ever tasted. He hadn’t even had chocolate since he was a kid.

Licking some of the chocolate off his lips, he looked at her. “If you don’t mind me asking, how powerful _are_ you?”

Marinette smiled, placing a finger to her lips. “That’s a secret.”

“Aw, c’mon… You can’t tell me?”

“Sorry, family disclosed secret.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

There was a pause. Something in that admission had his mind whirling. Marinette must’ve felt it too. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes were wide. She seemed stunned that those words left her mouth. Adrien had to admit, he was a bit surprised too. Sure, they’d known each other close to a month now. But for a witch to openly say she trusted a vampire sounded unbelievable.

“Do you—Do you mean that?” Adrien asked a little too hopefully.

She glanced away, nodding shyly. “Yes. You’re my friend, Adrien. And I trust you.”

“Wow. No one has ever said that to me before.”

Marinette’s eyes shot back up, boring into his. “Now, someone has.”

She held out her fist. Adrien smiled, bumping his knuckle to hers. It’d been something they’d started. Anytime the moment got serious, Marinette would give him a fist bump to break the tension. He thought it was cute.

He took another bite of the éclair, a little too much. Maybe, he was just trying to compensate for the tenderness by being funny. Marinette never seemed to mind. He enjoyed being a comic relief in their serious moments. Whether it was dropping a pun, or now shoving too much pastry in his mouth.

Marinette gawked him. “Don’t eat it like that! You can’t even appreciate at it,” she laughed.

“I do appreciate it,” he retorted with his mouth full.

She scoffed at him. “You’re going to make yourself sick if you eat too much of it.”

Adrien waved a hand. He chewed, finally. And swallowed the pastry. “I didn’t eat before I came. I’m on an empty stomach.”

Marinette eyed him. “You’re not going to frenzy on me, are you?”

He snorted. “No. Takes about three days without blood for that to happen.”

“Did you drink some last night?”

“Yes.”

Her shoulders deflated in relief. “Okay. Fine. I’ll lay off.”

“Jeez, Ladybug, I can take care of myself,” he teased in a mocking tone.

She glowered at him. “Quit calling me that.”

“What about Bugaboo?”

“Even worse.”

“My lady?”

“…Acceptable on occasions.”

“Nice.”

They both sputtered with laughter. Adrien was so elated to have someone to talk to like this. Even if Marinette didn’t feel for him the way he felt for her, it didn’t matter. He was just glad to have someone to talk to. Someone to call a friend. You know, that _wasn’t_ a talking cat.

Adrien took the last bite of the éclair. Chewing soundly like he was a starving man. So, maybe he’d neglected enough human food than normal. Marinette was right. He needed to be careful. If he skipped one too many meals or didn’t drink enough blood, he could hurt her. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

It was funny, he realized. Marinette was basically teaching him what it was like to be a normal teenager. To have a crush. To have a friend. To sneak out to go be with said person. Pigging out on sweets that his father would have his ass for. It made him so happy. And that was a feeling he hadn’t experience in a long time. His mother made him happy, but she wasn’t here anymore. Granted, he wasn’t sure if she’d be too happy with him for having a crush on a witch either, but Adrien just didn’t care. His mother would be thrilled that he was feeling joyful again, wouldn’t she?

When he felt a thumb at the corner of his mouth, he almost lost his shit. He yelped, blinking stupidly as Marinette rubbed her thumb across him.

She gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, you had chocolate on your mouth.”

“Oh.”

Marinette smudge the chocolate away, before bringing her thumb to her mouth and having the audacity to lick it off her skin. Adrien gulped. The slight made him _way_ too warm.

She gazed at him. Scooting closer, her thigh pressed to him. Adrien was just trying not to tent his pants at that point. Any self-control he had was waning at the feeling of her thigh touching his. Suddenly, her thumb was back to his mouth. But this time, he doubted she was rubbing chocolate off. The pad brushed across his top lip before she lifted it at the corner, exposing his fang. Why was she studying it so closely? He assumed she was just curious. But was she scared?

Ugh, he wanted to be able to feel what she felt. So badly.

Maybe… Maybe he could? They were close. She trusted him. There was a slight possibility they were close enough for him to use that ability. His hand cupped hers. Marinette’s thumb left his lips, and her fingers splayed out against his cheek. Adrien couldn’t stop himself from leaning into her touch.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Her cheeks were pink, but she made no motion to retreat. “Yeah, sorry. I just—I just started wondering what they really looked like. But, you have chocolate all over your fangs,” she said with a smile.

He laughed. Taking her hand from his cheek, he pulled her knuckle to his lips, and pressed a kiss there. He traveled upward, giving one more peck to the back of her palm. Suddenly, the new feeling was overwhelming. He could sense her giddiness. Adrien took that as a good sign. He placed their hands on each of their thighs. His fingers intertwined between hers.

When Marinette didn’t let go of his hand for the rest of the evening… he took that as a good sign.

o~o~o~o

Adrien was itchy. Why was he so itchy? He felt a paw poking at his cheek. He swatted at the cat. “Plagg, not now.”

“Kid. You have to wake up or else you’re going to be covered head to toe in a rash,” Plagg said sternly.

Groggily, Adrien rubbed his eye. “Wah…?”

He went to reach up with his other arm, only to find it resting beneath Marinette’s head. Oh shit. They’d fallen asleep!? He _never_ slept during the night. How’d he…? What the fuck!?

Suddenly, he understood. The sun was peaking out from the horizon. He panicked. His father was probably sleeping at home. Hopefully, Nathalie hadn’t peaked into his room to check on him yet. If she had, he needed an excuse and _fast._

He gently shook her awake. Marinette’s eyes were half lidded and groggy as she looked at him. “Adrien…? What are you doing in my room?”

“I’m not,” he said quickly. “We’re outside. We fell asleep. I have to get home… _fast.”_

Realization seemed to hit her, her eyes went wide as she rocketed to sit straight up. She began floundering and flailing her arms. “Oh my God, Adrien! This is all my fault! You have to go! I’ll clean this up and get back home before my parents wake up. You have to get back or else you’re going to be in trouble. I’m so sorry!”

“Hey! Hey…” he cooed, rubbing her shoulders. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine. Just get home safely, okay?”

Marinette nodded.

Adrien quickly turned into a bat, flying as fast as he could in the direction of his home.

When he finally arrived, he flew into the bathroom window. He immediately turned on the shower with cold water. He had cool his skin from the sun. The last thing he needed was to get caught with a rash. Then Nathalie and his father would _know_ he hadn’t been home. All of the windows in the mansion are tinted. He wouldn’t have any sun access unless it was directly from outside.

Plagg stood on his bathroom counter as Adrien shucked off his clothes. The cat familiar snickered, earning a glare from Adrien.

“Why didn’t you wake us up sooner?” Adrien growled.

“You guys were so cute, how could we?” he joked, a clear edge in his voice. Adrien knew damn well that Plagg thought their romance was gross. “And Tikki fell asleep too… so I just didn’t want to wake anyone.”

“Tikki is going to kill you,” he said as he jumped into the cool shower.

Plagg sounded noncommittal as he spoke. “Yeah, sure. She’ll forgive me. So will you. Pretty sure you liked waking up with Marinette beside you.”

Adrien huffed as the cool water hit his skin. “Maybe.”

“Someone is _sooo_ in love,” the cat cooed with a laugh.

“Shut up.”

“It’s true.”

“She doesn’t feel that way about me, okay?”

“Have you asked?”

Adrien snorted. “Why would I? Who wants to get turned down by the girl they like?”

“Who said she’d turn you down?”

“Plagg, stop with the mind games.”

“I’m just saying. You don’t know until you try.”

Adrien didn’t want to admit that he hoped Plagg was right. He hoped that he’d gather the courage to tell Marinette how he felt. And hoped she felt the same. No matter how taboo their romance was… it didn’t matter. They would be two beings in love, regardless of vampire or witch.

There was a rapping at the door.

“Uh, yes?” he called out.

“Adrien,” it was Nathalie’s voice. “What are you doing taking a shower at this time of the day?”

“I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided to try to take a shower and see if it’d help.”

Thank, God. That’d meant that Nathalie hadn’t checked in on him yet. So, he hadn’t gotten caught. She probably got back from the hunt and took a nap before coming to check on him.

“Okay. Get to back to bed soon.”

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her footsteps walk away. He thanked his lucky stars that he hadn’t gotten himself royally fucked by being out with Marinette last night. They’d have to be much more careful next time.

He just hoped Marinette didn’t get caught…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next one! See you Thursday! ;D


	4. Witching Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette talks her way out of everything...

Marinette flew on her broom as quickly as she could. She had to get home before her parents went to her room. If they checked on her and she wasn’t there then her ass would be doomed. They’d keep her under close surveillance and that was the last thing she wanted.

To her relief, when she opened her trap door, it was clear her parents hadn’t been there yet. She climbed down the ladder, throwing on her pajamas. Maybe, she could get a little more sleep before they came to wake her. Marinette rested in her bed, snuggling into the covers.

Tikki hovered over her, making the witch glance up at the familiar. The creature looked extremely guilty.

She gave her a smile. “Tikki, it’s okay. Don’t feel bad.”

“I shouldn’t have let you sleep out there. I just… I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to. When Plagg woke me up, I was furious with myself.”

Marinette shook her head. “It’s okay. I promise.”

Her familiar eyed her. Her paws went together. “This isn’t about ‘research’ anymore, is it? You’re falling for him.”

Feeling the warm on her cheeks, she glanced away shyly. “I… I didn’t mean to.”

Tikki gave a sympathetic smile. “It’s okay.”

“R-Really? You aren’t mad at me?”

“It’s… dangerous.”

“I know. I know I’m so stupid for having feelings for him. I’m supposed to be responsible and protect my coven. And now I’m dumb enough to fall in love with a vampire,” she whined, covering her face in her hands.

Tikki shook her head. “Stop it. No need to beat yourself up over this.”

Marinette peaked up at her familiar between her fingers. “W-What? How could you be okay with this? You should be furious with me. I’ve let my guard down and put us all in danger.” 

“Marinette, as much as I want you to fulfill your destiny… I love you so much more. You should follow your heart. If you care about him, then I support you. But there’s something you should know—”

“Marinette!”

She popped straight up when her best friend, Alya, shot open the trap door to her room. Marinette pretended to be groggy, forcing a fake yawn.

“A-Alya…? What are you doing here?” she asked quickly.

The red head crossed her arms, smirking. “Don’t give me that bullshit. I came over last night and you weren’t here. You’re lucky I covered for you.”

Marinette gaped. “I-I…”

“Where did you go?”

She shifted uncomfortably in the covers. Tikki gave her a warning glance. Marinette knew she had to keep this a secret from Alya. Nothing good would come of telling Alya that she was sneaking out to meet with a vampire that she just so happened to be falling in love with. Yeah. That sounded reasonable, she mused to herself.

Alya cocked a brow. “Uh oh, what’s that smile?”

“Nothing. I just went out flying. I needed time to think and clear my head.”

Alya didn’t seem to be buying her excuse. But instead of pressing her, she sighed. “C’mon, M. You’d tell me if you were sneaking out to meet up with a guy, right?”

No, she thought. Alya was nosey. She wouldn’t keep her mouth shut. If Alya knew she liked a guy, she’d demand to know everything about him. Even if Marinette left out the tiny detail of him being a vampire, her best friend would still find out somehow. The feelings she possessed right now were best left unsaid.

Marinette knew Alya just wanted what was best for her. Alya had Nino. And they were cute together. Madly in love, even. She knew that Alya wanted that for her too. To have that love with someone like she did. And Marinette was finding it on her own. Without help. Sure, maybe he wasn’t a warlock, but it didn’t mean that she couldn’t love him. Adrien wasn’t vicious or vindictive. Hell, when he had tried to act cocky and dickish when they first met, he was hardly convincing. He broke that character as soon as she met his gaze.

Adrien was warm… and loving. He just had so much affection to give. She didn’t know if vampires grew up in a loving household, or if it was just Adrien’s homelife that was rough and different. He had mentioned his father keeping him coped up at home. That must have not been normal.

Marinette jerked herself from her thoughts when she noticed Alya gazing expectantly at her.

“Of course, I would,” she lied smoothly.

Alya cocked a brow at her. “Are you sure?” Her eyes lit up suddenly. “Omigod! Was it Luka?”

“No!” Marinette said immediately, making Alya’s jaw snap shut.

Luka was a warlock in their coven. He was the elder brother of one of the girls in their training group, Juleka. Marinette admitted to having a small crush on him a few months ago. He was a sweet guy. They’d gone out to some of the festivals together a few times, but Marinette never felt that connection she wanted.

Hell, she even had trouble being around the guy now. Ever since she’d rejected him after he tried to kiss her, she had a hard time facing him. Marinette just had a feeling that Luka wasn’t supposed to be her first kiss. An instinct, maybe? She wasn’t sure. But she didn’t regret it now.

Marinette was confident her first kiss would be with Adrien at that point.

Alya cocked to the side, her hands going to her hips. “What’s so wrong with him? Didn’t you like him?”

“We just weren’t compatible, okay?”

“But he liked you!”

“Yes. He did.”

“He tried to kiss you!”

“_Yes. _I _know_, Alya. And I slapped my hand over his mouth and pushed him away. I’m sure that made him feel great!”

“You should give him another chance.”

“Alya, _stop!_”

Her mouth snapped shut. Alya’s eyes were wide as the two sat in a harsh silence. Marinette glowered at her from her bed. Again, she knew Alya meant well, but her methods were flawed. Marinette hated the pressure. They were eighteen. It was the prime time for witches to find their soulmates. Each witch had one. That one person they were destined to find and be with. It was hard dating within the coven. Everyone knew everyone’s business. It was rare that witches went through multiple relationships.

The fact that she and Luka dated a little and didn’t end up together was odd for their kind. But it didn’t feel right. Plus, Marinette’s destiny was always slapping her in the face. She didn’t really want to drag another into her fate.

With Adrien, it was different. He was a vampire. He wasn’t involved in the coven’s woes and prophecies. She knew she’d have to tell him eventually. But she wanted to wait a bit longer. She wanted them to get closer and act on her feelings before telling him the truth.

Before he had a chance to reject her…

Alya sighed. “Fine. But if you end up an old hag, then don’t blame me.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

When she told Adrien about the dating traditions of witches, she may have left out a minor detail. While vampires may be given off to an arranged marriage, witches begin to rapidly age when they turn thirty if they haven’t met their soulmate. And… they’d also live the lifespan of an average human rather than the normal life expectancy of witches. Every magical being had their catch. Nothing could have the chance to be almost immortal without having a consequence.

Alya climbed up the ladder, sitting at Marinette’s feet. “I’m sorry. I know you have plenty of time to find your soulmate. I just can’t help but feel guilty.”

“Guilty?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I feel like I’m practically shoving it in your face all of the time that I found my soulmate at fourteen. It’s why I haven’t been hanging out with Nino as much with you around.”

Marinette gave Alya a small smile. “Al, don’t feel bad for that. I’m happy for you, truly.”

“You mean it?”

Reaching over, she took Alya’s hand. “Yes. Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind seeing you happy, Alya. And I’ll find someone. It’s okay.”

Her best friend beamed. “Yes! Yes, you will, Marinette!”

“But,” Marinette cut in. “Remember, I have other things to worry about right now? So, I’ll have time to date when all of that’s over.”

Alya waved a hand. “Fulfilling prophecies, blah blah. Whatever. You’ll do it.”

“Thanks for your confidence in me,” Marinette said with a snort.

“You _will_, Marinette,” Tikki piped in. Her familiar fluttered to her shoulder. “You can defeat Gabriel Agreste just like the prophecy says.”

“I hope so, Tikki.”

o~o~o~o

When Marinette finally got Alya off her tail, she headed downstairs to find her parents making breakfast for her. She didn’t know how she’d function with so little sleep. She had slept next to Adrien for what? Maybe four hours? The rest of the day of definitely going to suck.

Sabine smiled when she noticed the two girls ascending down the steps. She placed a plate of pancakes on the island smiling at them as they approached. “Morning, girls!” she chimed.

Marinette took a seat as her mother brought over two plates. “Morning…” she muttered. She was far too tired to continue making conversation. Alya literally exhausted her with the hounding of questions when she first arrived.

She placed three pancakes on her plate at a turtle pace. Marinette didn't want to admit she was exhausted. Maybe, she was coming down from an adrenaline rush after the panicked events of the morning. The witch drizzled her syrup, watching it drip down the stack. Alya watched her, seemingly amused.

When Alya grabbed a few pancakes of her own, Sabine returned with glasses of milk and a plate of toast. "Eat up girls! You always need to be at full strength. You never know when all of your training will come in handy," her mother said with a waggle of her fingers.

Alya nodded. "No kidding… I heard another coven was attacked last night. The vampires were forced to retreat because of the sunrise, but I heard it was pretty brutal."

Sabine hummed sadly in response as she made her own plate of pancakes.

Marinette's fork paused in front of her mouth. Her ears perked at the conversation. That was probably Adrien's clan… She assumed he was a member of the Agreste clan somehow. Or at least associated.

"Those wretched vampires are so disgustingly evil that it makes me sick…" Alya grumbled, stabbing her fork into her stack.

"Are you sure that _all_ vampires are evil?" Marinette asked. She immediately regretted opening her mouth. Her mother and Alya both shared astonished and confused stares while Tikki glowered at her. Frantically backtracking, Marinette dropped her fork to wave her hands. "I-I just mean that… Has anyone _truly_ researched into vampires? Learned more about them?"

Alya scoffed. "As if! If any of us were to come in contact with a vampire, our blood would be drained from our bodies in an instant! I don't think they tend to do q&as or make friendly conversation."

_One does_, she thought curtly to herself. There was no way she could ever reveal Adrien to them. They'd attack him on the spot.

Sabine nodded. "Yes, Marinette. Vampires are evil and unsafe. I hope you weren't thinking about doing something crazy."

Marinette shrugged. "I was just curious. My destiny is to defeat them, right? The more info the better."

Alya cocked a brow at her. "I think you're still half asleep."

A good excuse… She nodded in response, letting out an over exaggerated yawn. Marinette stretched, popping her bones as she did so. "Yeah, maybe you're right. I'm probably not thinking clearly."

Marinette evaded the rest of the conversation by stuffing her face with pancakes. She gave Tikki a nervous smile, who simply squinted at her in response. Her little arms were crossed stubbornly. Marinette knew she was in for a tongue lashing later.

o~o~o~o

“Do you believe in prophecies?” Marinette asked Adrien the following evening as they laid together on her blanket.

Adrien turned his head to furrow his brows at her. “I’ve never really heard of any. Why? Is that something you guys do?”

“We have an oracle who made predictions. Every witch in the coven has their own prophecy and destiny that they’re supposed to fulfill.”

He seemed surprised by that. His eyes widened and brows rocketed beneath his bangs. “Wow, really?” Adrien turned his head, searching the sky as he hummed in thought. “No, I’ve never really believed in destiny.”

Marinette took his hand in hers. “I do. Definitely. It gives me hope that someday you and I could be friends like this every day. Without the fear of being shamed or killed.”

A silence passed between them. Adrien seemed to soak in her words as the stars twinkled above them. His fingers tightened their grip around hers.

Turning to face her once more, he smiled. “Is there a prophecy like that? Is that why you’re asking?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Someone is supposed to single handedly end this war between witches and vampires.”

Adrien gaped. “Wow. That witch must be really powerful.”

Swallowing, she agreed. “Y-Yeah. She is.”

“Oh! It’s a girl? Do you know her?”

Marinette was at a loss. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him that she was the one who was going to end this war. But for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She couldn’t bring herself to say “I’m supposed to kill Gabriel Agreste.” It was on the tip of her tongue. But the words wouldn’t come out.

What was holding her back? Why couldn’t she just _say_ it? Why couldn’t she get it out in the open between them?

Sighing, she finally answered. “Y-Yeah. I know her,” her words were meek and timid. She worried he may catch on. Adrien was a little naive, she had to admit. But he wasn’t stupid. He could notice her acting strangely.

“Wow. Honestly… I can’t wait for that day.”

Her eyes widened, she turned her head quickly to look at him. “Really?”

“Yeah. I want to be with you any time of the day. Whenever I want. Without having to hide in the forest,” his hand squeezed hers. “That’ll be amazing.”

“W-Well, I hope she can pull it off.”

He grinned, fangs gleaming in the starlight. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty sure this is the only chapter the features Marinette's pov entirely. But at least we get a peak into her life, right?


	5. Beating Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it comes...

Evenings were quiet almost every time. But there were times in particular when Adrien’s father went on a tirade. And there was no stopping that. Gabriel didn’t calm down easily. Ever.

The door to Adrien’s room burst open, sending the young vampire nearly out of his skin. “Father?”

Gabriel snatched him by the collar. “Why does this keep happening?” his father growled.

“W-What?”

They were nose to nose, the elder vampire snarling starkly at his son. “Why do I keep smelling witch residue on you?! I _know_ you aren’t drink their blood, but every evening when I walk by your door, the scent is there!”

Adrien tried to squirm free, but his father’s nails elongated, poking into his neck. The pressure almost felt choking, but not quite. “I-I don’t _know!_”

“You’re _lying_, Adrien! I can feel it!”

“I’m _not!_”

“It’s me!”

Both vampires whipped their heads towards the new voice joining the fray. Adrien’s heart plummeted to his stomach when he saw Plagg sitting there on the floor. He _spoke._ His father didn’t _know_ that Plagg could talk. Adrien trembled, pushing his father away while the elder vampire was distracted.

Gabriel was on Plagg in seconds, grabbing the cat by the throat. “So, you _speak, _hm?”

“Father! Stop! Please! Don’t hurt him!” Adrien cried reaching out and grabbing his father’s arm.

The elder vampire threw his son to the floor. Adrien collapsed onto the carpet. He stared up in horror as Plagg flailed and squirmed in his father’s grip.

Gabriel bared his fangs, bringing the familiar closer. “You’re what I’ve been smelling, is that right? Have you been going back to your coven and giving them our location?”

“No! He’s been here with me at all times, I _swear_, Father! Please, _let him go!_” Adrien begged, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

The vampire tossed the familiar to the side. Plagg, thankfully, landed on his feet. The cat coughed, lurching for breath. Adrien scrambled over to the familiar, cradling him in his arms. “Oh my god, Plagg. I’m so sorry,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to Plagg’s. He wheezed a few more times as Adrien rocked him. He pet him on the head, hoping to offer some form of comfort.

Gabriel hovered over them. “You _dare_ to care about such a _thing_?”

“He talks to me more than you do!” Adrien hissed, eyes flashing red with anger. “He’s the only friend I _have_, Father. Leave him alone. What else do I have to do when you keep me locked up in here?”

“How dare you speak to me that way!?” Gabriel growled, clearly affronted.

Adrien guarded Plagg in his arms, turning his body when his father reached for them. “Shut up!”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, _Father,_ to _shut up!_” Adrien spat harshly. The hatred in his tone was evident. “Don’t you have a clan to go lead on a hunt? Can you _not_ take the only being in this house that _actually_ cares about away? Plagg has been for me so much more than anyone here has!”

Gabriel’s hands clasped behind his back. “I do what I do for your _safety._”

“Right. Because not being able to live my life is _safe_. Thanks, Father. I appreciate it. Now, go away.”

“You cannot tell me what to—”

“_Go. Away,_” Adrien rumbled, fangs showing and eyes glowing more intensely than before.

Gabriel swallowed stiffly, clearly trying to keep himself in check as his lips twitched. Adrien was fully aware that his father was absolutely furious with him. And probably wanted to kill him, quite honestly. But Adrien just wanted him gone. He wanted to get away.

The elder vampire left the room with a loud slam of the door. Adrien flinched at the sound, clinging to Plagg for dear life. When his father’s footsteps retreated, the vampire melted into an emotional heap on the floor.

“Hey, Kid… you’re okay,” Plagg reassured, bumping his forehead to Adrien’s.

“_Me?_ Are _you _okay?”

Plagg nodded. “I’m a lot sturdier than that. It’s how that asshole didn’t kill me the first time.”

Adrien sat up, wiping a few tears from his eyes. “You shouldn’t have covered for me like that.”

“It’s my job to protect you. I’m your familiar.”

His jaw fell ajar at Plagg’s words. Adrien stared at him. “M-My familiar? But I’m a vampire.”

The cat smirked. “I guess you’re the first vampire to have a familiar, hm?”

Adrien couldn’t help but smile as he hugged his knees to his chest. “I guess so. I knew you liked me,” he said with a grin.

“Don’t push it. We can’t get too mushy here.”

“I know. My apologizes.”

Plagg snickered. “You want to go see Marinette? Go cry it out?”

“You know me so well.”

o~o~o~o

Adrien hid in the tree while he waited for Marinette to arrive. In retrospect, he probably should have waited until Nathalie said goodbye and went off on the hunt before he took off. But he didn’t care. He had to get away.

His sniffles seemed to echo through the silence in the woods. Plagg was curled up on his side, the purring a little calming. Adrien was simply a bundle of nerves. His body still trembled, hands shaking as he hugged himself. He leaned his head back on the trunk, looking up at the branches above him.

“Adrien?”

Quickly, he wiped his eyes. “H-Hey!” he called down. His voice was weak and watery.

Marinette looked up at him concerned, brows furrowing as she tilted her head. “Have you been crying?”

“It’s… a long story.”

“Well, we’ve got all night.”

Adrien eyed her cautiously. Was she _really_ willing to listen to him ramble about his woes all evening? Marinette simply smiled up at him before turning to lay out the blanket. He watched her as she carefully placed the comforter onto the ground and smoothed it out. She motioned with her arm for him to come down to join her.

Who was he to deny her?

Adrien climbed down the tree, digging his sharper nails into the bark as he skidded down. He flopped down beside her. She was staring at him. He cocked a brow at her.

“What?”

Marinette cupped his cheek, brushing her thumb across a stray tear that caught in his lashes. When she pulled her hand away, she seemed to analyze the dampness on her thumb. Her brows were furrowed as she gave him a sideways glance.

“Marinette?”

She seemed broken out of her thoughts when she quickly shook her head. “I just…” she trailed off, looking away from him before a sad smile etched along her lips. “I never thought I’d see a vampire cry.”

It didn’t surprise him to hear those words. Vampires were known for being stoic and monstrous. Never for their nurturing sensitive sides. Adrien was almost positive that Marinette didn’t even know he was physically capable of crying.

He returned her hesitant smile, curling his knees to his chest. “That’s a fair assessment.”

“You can talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong?”

Rubbing his arms cautiously, Adrien licked his lips as he considered what to say. He took a deep breath. “My father could smell the scent of a witch in my room and nearly knocked the door down to confront me. He…” he trailed off, voice growing weak.

Marinette rubbed his shoulder. “It’s okay…”

“He grabbed me by my shirt, got in my face, and screamed at me. When I wouldn’t tell him why he smelled a witch, Plagg took the fall for it and said it was him,” he looked at Marinette and saw her eyes widen in reaction to his statement. “F-Father threw me to the ground and grabbed Plagg by the throat, started to choke him… I can’t believe he was so—so _angry_ with me. My father has been mad, but never physically grabbed me before. Let alone Plagg. He wasn’t aware that Plagg could speak before this evening. And now I’m worried my father will try to take him—or worse.”

There were tears welling in her eyes. “I-I’m so sorry. I can’t image what that was like.”

Adrien could feel the drops prickling in his own eyes. He quickly wiped the liquid away. “I-It’s okay. That’s the first interaction I’ve had with him in two weeks,” he said with a bitter laugh.

“Adrien…”

Marinette sat up on her knees before grabbing him. She pressed his head to her chest as she wound her arms around his shoulders. Her head leaned on his, her cheek pressing to his crown. “You deserve better.”

Sniffling, Adrien leaned into her touch. “All… All I’ve ever wanted was for my father to be proud of me. To care about me. Hell, I almost _killed_ you because I was desperate for his attention. And for what?” his voice wobbled. “He doesn’t _care._”

Marinette stayed silent, simply giving comforting rubs to his shoulder and back as she held him. The sound of her heartbeat was comforting. Her slow breathing worked to calm him. Adrien didn’t know what he did to deserve such special treatment from her, but he wasn’t going to complain. This was the most physical comfort he’d had in eight years. His desperate desire to be loved became apparent in this moment. Marinette’s care for him was something he relished in. She meant everything to him.

“I grew up hating witches because of him,” Adrien leaned back, looking up at her watery gaze. “He told me vengeance was the only means of justice. I’m starting to realize how convoluted his ideals are.”

Chewing her lip, Marinette glanced away shyly. “What do you think about witches now?”

So much warmth built in his chest. His hands shook with nervousness. Gulping, Adrien swallowed all of his cautiousness. He reached up, sliding his hands down her arms to her hands. Brings both of her hands to his lips, he placed a kiss on her knuckles.

“I think… I’m in love with one.”

Those bluebell eyes widened. Her cheeks flushed, the cute color glowing in the evening moon. Adrien prepared himself for rejection. His shoulders stiffened as he waited for the blow. The part of him mind that had hope slowly danced away into the distance realms of his brain. This was stupid. He shouldn’t have told her!

Her hands squeezed his, surprising him. The smile that cross her lips was enchanting as she looked at him so softly. “I never—” she cleared her throat and shot her gaze down at their intertwined fingers. She took in a sharp breath. “I never thought I’d fall in love with a vampire, but I can’t deny that I am.”

Adrien felt his heart flutter in his chest. So many thoughts rummaged through his muddled brain. But the fact that Marinette love him back struck a chord the hardest. He couldn’t help but smile. “You—You are? R-Really?”

“Yes,” she said more surely with a nod.

The laughed that bubbled out was pure joy. He couldn’t remember the last time someone told him they loved him. How could he get so lucky? To fall in love? Have that person love him _back_? He’d become so unconvinced he was unlovable. That nothing he did was ever good enough. But now.

That was all different.

“You have no idea what it means to hear you say that,” he admitted. Adrien knew his own face had to be flushed. There was a roaring rush adrenaline soaring through him, the sound pounding in his ears.

Marinette cupped his cheek. She pressed her forehead to his, their noses bumping together. She nuzzled her nose to his for a moment. “I do. I’m so in love with you.”

Then, she was leaning in. Adrien felt himself inwardly panic. Her lips brushed his, and he jolted away quickly. He covered his mouth with wide eyes as he frantically scattered to the other side of the blanket.

She waved her hands, face flushed, brows furrowed with worry. “Oh, jeez. Was that too fast? I should have asked first!”

“No, no!” Adrien waved a hand. “No—It’s just… My fangs—I don’t want to hurt you is all.”

She tilted her head. “You’re worried about your fangs hurting me?”

“Y-Yeah. I’ve never kissed anyone. I don’t know if they hurt or…”

Marinette gave him a reassuring smile. Shaking her head, she giggled. “Adrien, I’m a big girl. I’m sure I can handle your sharp teeth.”

“Are you sure?”

Crawling towards him, she nodded. “Yes, you goof.”

“Calling me a goof won’t make me want to kiss you.”

“Positive? I think I can be pretty convincing.”

“Maybe.”

Adrien gulped when she reached him. She scooted next to him, her hip bumping his. Their thighs were pressed together. Adrien couldn’t remember the last time someone was this physically close to him in an affectionate way. There she was… leaning in again. Squeezing his eyes closed tightly, he couldn’t look. His lips were pouched out when hers met his in a gentle peck. It was quit. Almost nothing. But it sent his soul ablaze.

He was fully aware of the warm blush on his cheeks when his eyes blinked open. Swallowing, he glanced away from her. “I-I think I did it wrong.”

“Want to try again?” she asked with a shrug. Her gaze was far too innocent for someone who he’d just given his first kiss to.

However, he nodded. He kept his lips a little softer that time. Marinette’s head tilted, keeping her nose from his. Her mouth was so soft when it pressed against his. Her lips moved this time. It was chaste, but still sent his heart soaring into heaven. He tried to move his mouth with hers, copying her movements. It was a bit clumsy, he admitted, but it was his first kiss. He was allowed to be inexperienced, right?

Marinette’s soft palm surprised him when she cupped his cheek. She deepened the kiss, moving her lips more soundly with his. The kiss was still timid and languid, but with more and more pent up feelings releasing with every movement.

Unfortunately, Adrien was aware that vampires were instinctually more hormonally aggressive than most creatures, so he wanted to make sure he kept himself in check. Was it like the rumors he’d heard that they attacked others and had their way with them? No. But, he definitely felt something bubbling within him that frightened him a bit.

And so, he pulled away. The soft sound of their lips parting made him weak. He could feel the dopey smile on his lips as he gazed at her. He was so lucky to have met this wonderful girl. He’d given up on any chance of falling in love. But clearly, he was wrong. Adrien was entirely head over hills for Marinette.

And he gave zero fucks that she was supposed to be his enemy.

Marinette had a love-ridden expression as she smiled at him. The fondness in her eyes made his heart swell. He was so happy. He was practically bursting at the seams with joy. Adrien excitedly took her hands into his.

“I love you,” he said. It was quiet. He was almost too afraid to say it out loud. That was such a big deal, wasn’t it? Saying those words. In that order. In that way… it was terrifying. But he was so overwhelmed with glee that he couldn’t stop the words from leaving his lips.

But relief washed over him when her fingers tightened around his. “I love you, too.”

Kissing. Kissing was really nice… Kissing Marinette may have become his favorite pastime. He pecked his lips to hers. Over and over… and over. The love he’d built up just for her was exploding out him like a shaken soda bottle. He reached up to her arms, squeezing her shoulders beneath his palms. Just touching her affectionately made his brain fall into a tizzy.

How did he get this lucky?

She pulled away gently, smiling at him with a chuckle as her nose brushed his. She gazed up at him behind those long lashes.

“You want to go flying?” she asked suddenly.

Cocking a brow, Adrien smirked. “With you driving the broom?”

She smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“If you promise not to kill me, I’ll consider it.”

Marinette held up her pinky. “Promise.”

Cute, he mused. Eyeing her carefully, he glanced down at her digit and back to her face. “Fine,” he wrapped his pinky around hers. “But if I die after getting my first kiss, I’m going to be really disappointed.”

She rolled her eyes fondly before hopping to her feet. Reaching her hands out him, she yanked him to his feet. “Don’t be a scaredy cat. I got this.”

“Calling me a cat now, huh?”

“Fits your aesthetic,” she teased with a wink.

Marinette skipped to her broom, lifting it from the ground. She mounted it like a horse, kicking her leg over the handle. “Ready?” she asked looking at him expectantly.

Adrien gulped, walking over to her. He looked the broom up and down, unsure of how to join her. He copied her actions, hitching his leg up to sit on it behind her. But… then he wasn’t sure what to do with his arms. “W-Where do I grab—?”

She took her hands, wrapping them around her waist. “Hold on tight, okay?”

His cheeks were so warm. Why was he so embarrassed? Just holding a girl he just kissed really, _really_ close as she drove them around on a broom. This would be fine. …Right?

The broom ascended suddenly, making him clutch her quickly. She giggled at him before turning her attention forward. God, he hoped she didn’t crash them. That would suck. He’d have to explain those bumps and bruises to his father and he certainly wouldn’t be looking forward to that. They shoot up fast, making Adrien yelp.

“You’re okay,” she assured.

“Easy for you to say. You’re used to falling off of this,” he muttered.

“I’ll kick you off, vampy.”

“That’s offensive.”

“I know.”

He gaped at her, feigning an insulted look. “How dare you?”

“Better close your mouth unless you want to catch bugs.”

He snorted.

Adrien had to admit though… it was nice. The wind kissed his cheeks as they soared above her coven. It was much less exhausting this way. Usually when he flew, it was with his own wings that he used. But now, he could just rest. Watch the night sky peacefully. He’d never noticed how bright the stars were this high.

Having Marinette this close was just so… comfortable. Adrien felt himself sigh, squeezing her waist tighter and resting his chin on her shoulder. Marinette hummed, leaning her head onto his.

“Thanks for this… For tonight,” Adrien said.

He could see her shy smile. “It’s no problem. You needed it, right?”

“Still. I didn’t mean to dump a love confession on you this evening,” he laughed hesitantly.

Marinette gave a lopsided shrug. “I’m not complaining.”

He grinned. “I’m glad.”

“I’m sorry your father treats you that way…”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “It doesn’t make it right.”

“It’s okay. I have you.”

The smile she gave him made his heart flutter.

o~o~o~o

Adrien didn’t even remember flying home. He flopped on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He could feel the stupid grin etched along his lips. Finally, he giggled to himself, grabbing a pillow and cuddling it to his chest.

“Wow, wow, wow… That’s a smitten kitten look if I’ve ever seen one,” Plagg teased from the nightstand.

Adrien tried in vein to bite his lip to keep from smiling. “Shut up,” he mumbled.

Plagg smiled, licking a paw casually. “I’m happy for you, kid. Really.”

Rolling to his side, Adrien cuddled into his pillow. “Thanks.”

“Just… remember the consequences. You must keep Marinette safe. Especially from your old man,” the familiar said, an edge in his voice.

The vampire sat up, a cold feeling of dread washing over him. “Y-You don’t think he’d find her, do you?”

“As long as she doesn’t come here, she’s safe. Her coven is well hidden. I lead you there for a reason.”

“You did?”

He nodded, hopping onto the bed next to him. Adrien rubbed his palm along Plagg’s fur, the soft feeling a comfort in that moment. Plagg seemed to appreciate it as a small purr rumbled from his throat. The familiar allowed him to continue scratching as Plagg spoke. “I did. I didn’t intend on you falling in love, obviously. But I did take you there for a reason.”

“So, for what reason?”

“I wanted you to learn about witches and have some empathy for them. You’ve learned that they aren’t heartless like your father taught you. The witch from the prophecy lives in that coven. It’s so hard to find because they have a spell protecting them, that’s why it’s so hard to find.” 

Adrien sat up instantly. His eyes were widened with surprise. “W-Wait, what?”

Plagg gave a small nod. “Your father knows that a young witch is supposed to end the war, so he’s been trying to hunt down Marinette’s coven.”

Hugging himself, he looked away and stared at his feet. “I…I didn’t know.”

The familiar sat a paw on his leg. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”

“Will you tell me?”

Plagg nodded slowly. “Yes. Eventually.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cheesy romance is my middle name.


	6. Under Your Love Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's feelings continue to build...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a spicy kissy-kissy scene at the end of this chapter. Just a heads up.

Lying on the blanket, Adrien stared up at the clear night sky above their heads. Marinette was curled into his side, her head on his collarbone. His arm was wound around her waist, pulling her closer.

It was surprising to him that they fell into this physically so quickly. Cuddling with Marinette felt so natural. It was… nice yet weird. He enjoyed her being in his personal bubble, but he’d also never been in love. He had to admit he was addicted to her affection. It made his stomach warm and chest swell with glee. She meant so much to him. The fact that someone cared that much about him was mind-boggling to him.

He knew his mother cared and loved for him. But she’d been gone eight years, and it was hard to recall every moment with her like he’d wished. Having Marinette, however, seemed to make up for the lack of loving touch he’d missed for so long.

He heard Marinette sniffle. “Are you okay? Cold?”

“No, when’s the last time you washed this hoodie? You wear it every time you come here.”

Adrien scoffed. “Excuse me. I clean it often.”

“With a washboard?”

“We _do_ use some human technology, you know.”

“Doubtful.”

“Rude.”

Marinette giggled. Adrien felt his cheeks flush when she climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. Jesus, he was going to _die._ She was going to take one hundred years off his lifespan if she kept doing this to him. These surprise attacks were too much. Marinette tangled her fingers with his, beaming at him as she did so.

“I’m sure you’ll forgive me,” she cooed.

“Debatable.”

She batted her eyes, feigning an innocent look. “Do I have to prove it?” she asked with a pout.

Adrien squinted at her. “Maybe.”

Marinette bent down, peppering kisses along his cheeks and jaw. Adrien could already feel the primal need bubbling inside him from just those sweet, innocent pecks. What was _wrong_ with him?

Being a vampire really sucked sometimes.

Her mouth took his, her lips slanting against him. His hands left hers to travel down her waist. He wound his arms around her, hugging her tightly. With her fingers freed, they buried in his blonde locks. The sweet scratches on his scalp made his head spin. His grip tightened on her as her lips began to move harsher along his. The kiss grew heated, passionate. Nothing like any of their previous kisses. His heart pounded in his chest so loudly. He idly wondered if Marinette could hear it and feel it as well.

Adrien tried to keep up. But her mouth kept moving and moving. She kept switching angles, tilting her head different ways. He definitely knew what the term “sloppy make-out” meant after this. He could feel the wetness shared between their lips.

However, when his fang caught her lip bottom lip, his entire world tilted on its axis. The tangy taste of her blood hit his tongue, and the magic sent tingles of his spine. If sparkles had a taste, that would be it. Sitting up, he pushed her away and covered his mouth. He scooted away, breathing heavily into his palm as he tried to gather his wits. Between the make-out and actually tasting witch’s blood, his head was in an entirely different plane of existence.

Was this what a panic attack felt like? He couldn’t breathe. The world spun around him. So much dread felt heavy in his chest.

“Adrien? Adrien! Calm down, you’re okay.”

He opened his mouth behind his hand, but no words came out. The air locked in his lungs. There was blood still on her lip as it oozed down her chin. How deep had he cut her? That was the last thing he’d ever wanted to do! He knew it. He knew kissing her was a bad idea.

When she crawled closer, he scooted away. “No! No, no, no!” he cried.

“Adrien! I’m okay! _Please_,” she begged.

The crack in her voice made him whimper in response. He finally moved his hands from face, rubbing them nervously on his jeans. “I-I’m so sorry. I knew this would happen.”

“It’s just a little cut… I’m okay.”

Adrien quickly shook his head. “I-It’s not that. I just—I never wanted to taste you.”

Marinette tilted her head. “My blood?”

Nodding, he grimaced. “I don’t know a vampire that doesn’t over juiced from witch blood. I swear, it’s worse than expresso. Being that overzealous has always frightened me. Especially because it has just made my father more aggressive. I couldn’t imagine being like that.”

Adrien wanted to lean away from her touch when she crawled to sit next to him, but he didn’t want to see the disappointed look in her eyes again. “Our blood sustains you longer, right?”

He gave her an inquisitive glance. “Yeah. It does.”

“When it the last time you drank blood?”

Looking away with shame, he grimaced. So, maybe he hadn’t been drinking as much blood as he should have been. He was doing everything he could to avoid his father. That included going to the kitchen. And any time he knew his father wasn’t home, he flew to the coven to see Marinette.

When he didn’t answer her, her attitude seemed to shift. Becoming more serious. Marinette eyed him. Suspicion was clear in that stare. “Adrien, _when_ is the last time you’ve eaten and drank blood?”

“…Three days, maybe?”

She gaped at him. “Adrien!”

“I didn’t mean to! I-I’ve just wanted to see you. And I’ve been avoiding my father since the whole… _incident._”

Marinette moved in front of him, planting her hands on his shoulders. “What are you _thinking_? You’re putting yourself in so much danger.”

He hung his head with remorse. She was right. He was putting himself in danger, as well as her. If he frenzied, he could lose his mind and attack her. The last thing he’d ever want to do was make her afraid of him again.

“I know…” he muttered guiltily. He couldn’t even look at her as he started down at his lap. He really should have been ashamed of himself. Marinette had insisted on him taking care of himself, and he'd failed her.

“Take some of mine.”

Adrien’s head shot up. “What?”

“My blood. From my lip. You can have it. It’s clearly not doing me any good on the outside of my body,” she joked with a shrug.

“Marinette, I _can’t_—”

“It’ll be okay, Adrien. I promise.”

In his heart, Adrien knew she was right. He needed to get some blood or else it could be dangerous. With a reluctant sigh, he nodded. “Okay. Fine,” he agreed.

Marinette leaned in, pressing her lips back to his. Adrien returned the kiss, melding his lips to hers before letting his tongue travel in to play. He lapped the blood from her mouth and teeth, before catching her bottom lip between his lips. Adrien sucked on the wound, tasting the rusty flavored liquid. The tingles returned down his body. He clutched her shoulders, keeping her steady as he took the blood from her chin. After cleaning her entirely, he flicked his tongue across the wound before pulling away.

Blinking, her eyes were wide when he pulled away. “Woah. Your eyes.”

He ruffled his hair nervously. “O-Oh, yeah. They turn red when I...”

“Drink blood?”

“Yeah…”

Marinette gazed at him with her mouth slightly ajar. “Your vampire tropes are crazy.”

Adrien couldn’t help but laugh at the comment. “We do have a lot of interesting qualities.”

“I agree,” she said with a giggled. When the closed her mouth for a moment, she seemed confused, brows furrowing together as her tongue ran across her bottom lip. “Did you… Did you _heal_ me?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah.”

“You have magic healing spit? Are you _joking?_”

The vampire shook his head with a shrug. “We can only heal wounds caused by vampires. We can heal bite wounds or scratches caused by our claws. Stuff like that.”

“Jeez, you’re weird.”

“I’m offended, Marinette, really.”

“It’s just crazy. You have so many powers. I didn’t realize vampires could do so much,” she explained as she scooted to sit next to him.

Adrien bumped her lightly. “You’re saying this to me when you can literally cast any spells you want. I know every magical being has a catch, but you seem to be the most powerful of all creatures, you know?” He hummed staring off into the forest as he asked. “I don’t think you’ve told me what happens to witches? What’s your catch?”

Marinette chewed her lip lightly, seeming hesitant to reveal such information to him. Adrien bent at his shoulders, trying to see the look on her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Do you not want to tell me?”

She hummed, fiddling with her thumbs. “I just don’t want you to feel pressured or anything.”

“Huh?”

Marinette swallowed, smiling hesitantly at him. “Well, we turn into hags if we haven’t found our soulmates by thirty years old. We begin rapidly aging and only live to be about one hundred. But we have to live the next seventy years looking old as dirt.”

He didn’t know what he was expecting. But it wasn’t that. Licking his tongue across his teeth, Adrien lost himself thinking about it. “Huh.”

“You see to like that word right now.”

“Sorry. That’s just a lot to take in.”

“I mean, knowing you’re allergic to the most random ass things is also a lot to take in, but I think I handled it pretty well,” Marinette retorted, puffing up her chest and crossing her arms. She stuck her tongue out for good measure as well.

“I just don’t want you to be disappointed if—if a vampire _can’t_ be your soulmate.”

Marinette smiled, shaking her head. “If you have a soul,” she pressed her hand to his chest, “then you can be my soulmate.”

Adrien felt his cheeks heat furiously. Shakenly, he placed his hand over hers. She made him so nervous, and he wasn’t sure why. Did shaking hands, sweaty palms, and overthinking really come with love? Apparently so. Seeing her so kind to him made his heart ache. He hadn’t known such affection since his mother was killed. And having it now, from a witch of all people, was a huge adrenaline rush.

“Y-You really think I’m your soulmate?”

She hummed, coyly looking up at him through her lashes. “I think you could be.”

“Oh. W-Wow.”

Marinette smiled. “You seem stunned.”

“A little.”

They fell into a small silence as Marinette seemed to search him. Adrien wasn’t quite sure what to make of the situation. A soulmate? Him? Did she really want that? He couldn’t remember a time he was so flattered. So much warmth pooled inside him. He took her hand from his chest, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“Thank you.”

Pulling him in, she pressed a kiss to his lips in response.

o~o~o~o

“Have I told you it’s my birthday soon?” Adrien asked, grinning at her.

She gaped, seeming affronted from his confession. “No! Why would you keep that from me?”

Shrugging, he brushed off her comment. “Well, we’ve never really celebrated my birthday. Is it really a big deal?”

“Yes! Of course, it is! I need to give you a gift.”

“A _gift?_ Oh, Marinette… I can’t ask you to go through that kind of trouble for me,” he insisted, waving a hand in surrender.

She gasped, clasping her hands together. “I know exactly what to give you!”

Marinette stood abruptly, hopping to her feet. She held out her hand, and he hesitantly took it. What was she planning? He was pretty unsure of her when she got in those determined moods. Sometimes Marinette’s plots overwhelmed him when she got a little too excited. But he stuck it out and let her drag him along for the ride.

When she helped him to stand, she chewed her lip. “Sooo,” she dragged the sound. “We’re going to have to go to my house to get your gift.”

“W-What?”

His heart pounded as he panicked. Her _house!?_ If her parents found him… he was _dead._ They wouldn’t hesitate to blast him first and ask questions later. They would just assume he was attacking Marinette in her room, not that he was an invited guest of their daughter. Oh, this was _awful._

“It’s okay.”

“N-No, it’s _not_, Marinette! If we get caught we’re doomed. I can’t step foot in your coven again.”

She squeezed his fingers. “Look, we’ll just sneak in for a few minutes, I’ll give you the present, and then we leave. It’s not a big deal.”

“Do you _hear_ yourself? You’re really trying to sneak me into your bedroom?”

Marinette giggled. “It was only a matter of time, right?”

Adrien looked to Tikki pleadingly. “You can’t possibly think this is a good idea.”

The familiar nodded. “It’s a horrible idea.”

“And you’re not going to stop her from convincing me to do this!?” he asked, stunned at the familiar’s impartial attitude.

“I can’t stop her when she’s convinced of something,” Tikki murmured, glaring at her owner while crossing her tiny arms.

Adrien was shell-shocked with what he was witnessing. He stared, slack jawed and buggy eyed at the two. There must have been more here than he knew about. He’d have to ask later. He couldn’t believe Marinette was actually suggesting sneaking him into her home.

As much as he loved and adored Marinette, the tiny voices in his head couldn’t help but feel like it could be a trap. Was someone waiting there to take him away? Question him about vampires? _Kill him?_

“Adrien?”

He was shaken from his thoughts at the sound of her voice. “Y-Yes!?”

Her reassuring smile was almost blinging. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

Gulping, he nodded. “O-Okay.”

o~o~o~o

They arrived at Marinette’s balcony faster than he’d realized. He hopped off the back of her broom before helping her down. It was the most gentlemanly gesture he could muster in his nervousness. Surely, someone would sense him here. Witches weren’t stupid…

She opened the door, crawling down the ladder and Adrien followed suit. He was surprised to see so much pink in her room. There were dresses on mannequins, a sewing machine sitting proudly on the desk, and many little trinkets scattered about. He smiled. Seeing this side of her was a nice change. Just seeing Marinette as a person rather than a witch. Rather than someone he cared for. Seeing her in her element was a nice change.

He walked to a large pink dress. It was beautiful. He ran his fingertips along the fabric, careful to not hit the material with his nails. It was so soft and silky. Almost comforting… he kind of wanted a blanket made out of it, so he could wrap himself in it.

Adrien started towards her sewing machine to examine it as Marinette rummaged through her drawers. She stopped him half-way, however. Marinette beamed as she held up a charm bracelet.

He gawked. She seemed so proud of it. It must have meant a lot to her. “F-For me?”

She nodded. “Yes! This is my lucky charm… it’ll keep you safe. I made it when I was a kid to protect me.”

“From vampires?” he guessed with a shy smile.

Marinette glanced away, tugging at one of her pigtails. "Well, seems like you may need protection from your father anyway."

She wasn't wrong, he mused. Smiling at her. he clasped the charm to his chest. "Thank you… I'll keep it always."

Her eyes were bright as she returned this smile. "Good."

There was a beat of silence. Adrien could hear his heartbeat quicken as he gazed at her flushed face. She was beautiful. The way her bluebell eyes twinkled… the freckles dusting her nose…

There was a magnetic pull between them, inching him closer to her with a small step. The light patter of his feet moving towards her was almost deafening in the quiet. When they were nose to nose, her breathes caressed his lips.

Adrien cupped her jaw, and Marinette leaned contently into his touch. His thumb rubbed gently below her eye in a loving touch. When her lashes fluttered, eyes closing, he decided that was all the permission he needed. The vampire captured her lips.

The kiss was warm. So much warmer than the ones previously. Her lips were slanted with his, lighting a hot fire inside his gut. Some stories described kissing like fireworks, and Adrien finally understood what they meant. Colors exploded inside his mind, imagining the blue of her eyes and the sweet pink of her skin.

Desire bubbled inside him… festering and ready to explode. He'd never _wanted_ someone before, but Marinette seemed to hypnotize him with every movement of her lips on his.

She surged forward, pushing him back so his knees caught on her chaise. Adrien fell back, a little surprised, but not enough to be distracted from her.

Marinette broke from his lips only a moment. Her half lidded gaze sending a heat to his groin he'd never felt before. He wasn't a prude… but this witch sure knew how to make him feel like he had been. All of the new feelings she drew out of him must have been part of a magic spell she'd put him under.

She surprised him by crawling in his lap, straddling his hips on either side. Adrien's senses were suddenly on overload as she pressed against the growing bulge in his trousers.

Catching his mouth again, Marinette deepened this new kiss. Her tongue flicked across his fangs, almost making him lose his mind right then and there. Adrien's body tingled, heartbeat pulsing throughout his veins as she spurred on. It was almost too much for him.

When her hips rolled against him, Adrien let out a predatory growl into her mouth. It encouraged her to do it again. And again. _And again. _Until Adrien had fully lost himself in her touch.

He wanted her. _He wanted her so bad._ Every bit of his instincts told him to claim her right then. To rip off her clothes and shove himself inside her.

But he couldn't.

This was treading dangerous waters. It was a bad idea for them to be like this. If he had sex with her… if he claimed her… The scent of her would be stronger on him. His father would know in a heartbeat.

"M-Marinette," he panted, pushing her back slightly.

"Yes..?" she breathed.

Oh, that sultry tone would be the death of him. But this was too risky. He wanted to be intimate with her more than anything. But not when her safety was on the line.

"W-We can't do this. It's not safe."

She shrugged. "I can't get pregnant if that's what you're worried about."

"No!" he squeaked, feeling his cheeks heat at the statement. "My father would know. I can't risk putting you in danger."

Her face fell, but she nodded in understanding. "Yes… I should've thought this through. I'm sorry."

Adrien brushed his fingers along her cheek. "Never apologize for kissing me stupid. I couldn't think for most of that," he chuckled.

That earned him a light giggle. Then she held out her fist. Laughing, he grinned and bumped his knuckle to hers.

"Stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Nodding, he caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her wrist. "Of course."

The two cuddled in her bed until she was asleep in his arms. No matter how desperately he didn't want to leave, he knew he had to. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Adrien gave Marinette a quiet goodbye.

When he and Plagg arrived back to the mansion, Adrien immediately went for a cool shower. He'd never been so worked up in his almost nineteen years. He scrubbed his skin of Marinette's scent, no matter how much he didn't want to. Her safety came first.

Always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all... I shouldn't be allowed to write vampires. I love the tropes way too damn much. 
> 
> See you Tuesday! ;D 
> 
> (You're all going to hate me next week. You've been warned.)


	7. Bleeding Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya's had enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a POV switch in the beginning so just be weary.

With each passing day, Alya’s suspicions continued to grow. Marinette was definitely keeping her at arm's length. The subtle hints that her best friend gave her (whether Marinette realized it or not), and the way the raven haired girl would just stare off into space and smile sometimes had Alya coming to one conclusion: her best friend was crushing hard. Maybe even in love.

But why wouldn’t she _tell_ her? Alya knew something had to be up. Marinette had never hidden her crushes from her. Not even in awkward teenhood. She remembered Marinette’s emotions fleeting from boy to boy as a tween. One day it was the boy who sat behind her in training, the next it was the boy who came into the bakery asking for a magic macaron.

Alya couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that Marinette _was_ hiding something from her. If she tried to bring remotely anything up about dating, Marinette seemed to bristle and change the topic. It had been going on for almost two months, and Alya wasn’t going to stand for it anymore. She wanted to know what was going on in her best friend’s life. And she’d do whatever it took to find out.

Even if it meant setting up a stake out across the street from Marinette’s home. Alya hovered on her broom, hidden just out of sight of the bakery. She began noticing the pattern… Every other night, Marinette would leave on her broom then come back hours later. She always had a stupid, dopey smile on her face when she returned.

Was Marinette sneaking out to see a boy!? That was _crazy!_ A goody-two-shoes like Marinette never seemed like the type! She didn’t know she had it in her. Alya was kind of proud, actually. Maybe, Marinette’s teenage rebellion phase was just coming a little late. Marinette did have the weight of the witch race on her shoulders according to the oracle, after all.

Even so, if her bestie _was_ sneaking out to be with a guy, she wouldn’t tell anyone! But, he needed the best friend approval test for sure. She needed to meet this guy. There had to be something wrong with him if Marinette was hiding him from everyone.

If he dark spice dealer… Alya would have a cow. While she knew Marinette had her earrings that were supposed to protect her, if she resorted to black magic to take out Gabriel Agreste then Alya would have to talk some sense into her best friend.

That evening, when Marinette snuck out, Alya followed her. She followed her to the forest just outside the coven, which made Alya’s dark magic theory even more plausible. Her heart roared in her chest, no matter how much she willed it to stop. She was terrified to learn the truth. There were so many things Marinette could be doing. Training with Master Fu? Practicing spells on her own time? She could just be taking a late night walk every other evening to handle the pressure.

Alya was stunned with what she saw to say the least. Marinette was laying out a picnic blanket? Whoever she was meeting was already there. She _was_ meeting a guy! This kid was blonde and had bright green eyes. He wasn’t a warlock she’d seen in their coven… maybe he was from a different one? Couldn’t have been a dark spice dealer… those people are green with dark eyes from the effects of dark magic.

That was a relief at least…

So what was it? Why was Marinette hiding him? Alya watched as they shared a laugh, Marinette’s cheeks were flushed. Oh jeez. The girl had it bad for this guy…

“Alya!” Trixx hissed, growling.

Alya hushed her familiar with a finger to her lips, whispering in a harsh tone. “You’re going to get us caught!”

Trixx quickly changed into her fox form, teeth gritted as she snarled. “That boy is a vampire!”

“_What!?”_ Alya quickly covered her mouth.

The boy… the _vampire_ seemed startled. She assumed they must have been far enough for Marinette not to hear… but not him. He grabbed his hood, shoving it over his head. She assumed to shield his probably pointed ears.

With her cover blown, Alya emerged from the woods. Her wand was hot and hissing as she drew it. Fingers shaking, she held the wand up. “Get away from her!”

Marinette was clearly stunned to see her. Her blue eyes were wide with panic. “W-Wait, Alya!”

“I don’t know what kind of trance this vampy put you under, but we’re going to break it right here and now!” Alya demanded through gritted teeth.

She was _seething._ How _dare_ he do something like this to her best friend! He probably knew she was the witch from the prophecy! He was creating an in to their coven! He was going to _kill_ them!

The vampire scrambled back, only pissing her off more. Alya held her wand more confidently. “Don’t you move, blood sucker! I’ll turn you into a damn toad faster than your head can spin!”

As she went to cast the spell, Marinette’s hand suddenly swatted her wand out of her hand. “No!” she screeched.

Alya gaped, watching her wand fly and hit the earth a few feet away. Now, what would she do? She was defenseless! “W-What are you _doing!?_” she shouted at her friend.

“You don’t understand!” Marinette cried, tears welling in her eyes. Her hands were trembling, bottom lip quivering. Alya realized… she really had no idea what was going on here. Marinette swallowed, shaking her head. “Please, don’t hurt him,” she begged.

Alya couldn’t believe her ears. She gawked at her. The vampire made no moves to attack. He just sat there, green eyes blown wide as he watched them both. She couldn’t believe Marinette even had her back _turned_ to him. Let alone was telling her not to hurt him.

“Marinette… Just _what_ is going on here?” Alya asked, hands going sharply to her hips.

“He’s—he’s my friend,” Marinette sputtered quickly.

Noting how the vampire grimaced at those words… Alya knew that was a fucking lie. They were much more than friends. Marinette may be a good liar, but Alya could sniff out bullshit when she knew it.

“You’re telling me you’ve been sneaking out for months to canoodle around with a vampire!?”

“Have you been _spying_ on me!?”

“Only because you haven’t been telling me the truth!”

“This is low, even for you, Alya!”

“Says the one snogging with a vampire!”

“You don’t know _what_ I’ve been doing!”

o~o~o~o

Adrien watched, unsure of what to do as the two girls bickered with one another. Obviously, that was Alya. Her best friend she had mentioned to him many times. He knew that Marinette mentioned Alya could be nosy… but spying on her and following her out here was something neither of them expected. He assumed Marinette hadn’t been feeding her enough lies to satisfy her.

“Just leave us alone, Alya!”

Alya seemed entirely exasperated by the entire situation. Honestly, if Adrien was in the same position, he’d probably feel the same. The night he met Marinette, he was entirely overwhelmed by her kindness even after he’d almost drank her blood. Their relationship was taboo. It made sense that this would be the reaction to it.

“What if he’s an Agreste, huh!? What then!?”

Wait… what was that supposed to mean?

“A-Agreste?”

The girls paused, stunned at his voice. Marinette’s eyes were wide as she stared at him. Slowly, Adrien pulled the hoodie off his head, gazing at both of them. Plagg hopped down from the tree, suddenly joining into the situation.

“Adrien, I wouldn’t go there…” Plagg warned.

Adrien shook his head. “No, I need to know. What’s wrong with being an Agreste?”

“Ha! Told you!” Alya smarmed, hands going to her hips.

The look Marinette gave her was menacing. There was a fire in her eyes he’d never seen. She was so angry that her friend would even insinuate that he could even be an Agreste. But he didn’t understand…

What had his father _done?_

Taking a small step towards him, Marinette eyed him carefully. “A-Are you? Are you a member of the Agreste clan?”

Swallowing thickly, he nodded. “I-I’m more than just a member, Marinette.”

His love went sickly pale. Her blue eyes went wide as the gears seemed to turn in her head. Marinette’s hand clutched to her chest. “O-Oh my God... Your mother—Your mother is the vampire the covens banded together to kidnap.”

Adrien couldn’t understand. He didn’t know what was going on. “What are you talking about? You already knew my mother was killed by witches.” 

“You—You were the vampire’s son. You were supposed to be killed with her, but you weren’t. Oh—Oh my God…”

His head was whirling. What the hell was she talking about!?

A beat of silence passed.

“Your father… is Gabriel Agreste?”

Suddenly, he figured that being Gabriel Agreste’s son wasn’t just a bad thing for him. He knew what cruelty his father was capable of at home. He knew that his father wasn’t a good man. But by the reaction of both witches in front of him, this what Plagg meant when the familiar said there was a lot that Adrien didn’t know. He felt so ignorant. He couldn’t understand.

Shifting his weight from side to side, all Adrien could feel was shame. He couldn’t look at her. He felt guilty. And didn’t even know what he’d done… “Y-Yes.”

“Your name is Adrien Agreste.”

“Yes,” he said weakly.

Marinette let out a sob. Her knees buckled as she fell to the ground. Her palms went to her eyes, hiding the fresh tears he knew were covering her cheeks.

“Marinette…” he took a step towards her.

But she held up her hand, stopping him in his tracks. “Please, don’t,” she muttered. “I-I can’t. Not right now. We can’t—We can’t do this.”

Chest growing tight, he wanted to reason with her. Wanted to beg for her forgiveness. “M-Marinette, _please._ What did my father _do!?_”

She shook her head, hugging her arms tightly around her stomach. It was like… she couldn’t even look at him. Was she disgusted with him now? She looked to Tikki who had remained silent since her and Plagg joined the fray. “Did you know?”

“Yes,” her familiar answered. It was the quietest he’d ever heard her. She seemed so ashamed of herself as she hung her tiny head.

“And you didn’t _tell _me!?” Marinette was so furious. He felt so much guilt that her anger was directed at Tikki. Wasn’t this his fault?

“I-I tried, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to ruin what you two had.”

“So, you just let me suck face with the vampire who is the son of a _monster!?_”

Tikki didn’t answer. Her beady blue eyes met his. With every hiss of Marinette’s words, he felt his heart crack a little more. A monster… she thought his father was a monster. She wasn’t wrong. He knew that. But the way she said it with such distaste. She didn’t even mention that she loved him.

Did she think he was a monster too?

He should’ve told her. The day he met her. He should’ve said “my name is Adrien Agreste.” She could’ve tucked tail and ran. Never fell in love with him. Never felt this pain or hurt. If he’d simply uttered his last name, she never would have been put in this situation. One that could have been easily avoided if he hadn’t been so stupid.

Adrien gulped, taking a step back. Hot tears burned his eyes. This was his fault. Entirely his fault. He hurt her. His existence in her life was a mistake. He loved her. He _loved_ her. And he’d destroyed that by not knowing the truth. This was taboo. They’d both known it was. He should’ve been smarter. This never should have happened.

Marinette noticed him move, her eyes meeting his. There was fear there. Was she afraid of him again? The last thing he’d ever wanted was to see her so afraid of him again. And he’d blown it. He messed up everything.

“I…I have to go,” he said quickly.

“A-Adrien, wait! I didn’t mean—”

He didn’t.

He left. Flying home with tears in his eyes.

Plagg would tell him the truth. Now.

o~o~o~o

Plagg gave him space at first. The only sounds filling Adrien’s room were his heartbroken cries muffled into his pillow. He didn’t understand what he’d done to deserve such a horrible fate. He fell in love with a witch. And now, it was time to face those consequences. He was so angry with himself for doing this. For hurting her.

For falling for her.

Finally, he heard Plagg patter onto the bed. Sniffling, he looked up from his cotton pillow, peaking up at the creature. The pillow was soaked from absorbing his tears and was damp as he kept it pressed beneath his nose to hide his rosy cheeks.

Plagg sighed, lying down on the bed. “Whenever you’re ready, kid…”

Nodding slowly, Adrien let the pillow fall into his lap. “Tell me.”

“I guess I should start with… this entire vampires vs witches war was started by your father.”

Fingers clenching the pillow, he could’ve sworn he heard the fabric ripping beneath his nails. “W-What?”

Plagg nodded, a sorrowful gleam in his eyes. “Your father went into a frenzy, and instead of attacking a human, he attacked a witch. After discovering how strong witch blood made vampires, he decided to continue hunting down witches and feeding on them instead of humans. Well, there’s a lot less witches in this world than humans, and he was leaving evidence behind. Every victim had vampire bite marks clear as day on their necks. Your father could have healed the wounds and covered his tracks… but he never did. It was like he wanted to be found.”

That sounded so much like his father. What bothered him the most was that he had no idea this was truly the type of man he was living with. Gabriel was underhanded, sneaky, and aggressive. Everything vampires were “supposed” to be. But even Adrien thought his father was sickening to be around.

Speaking up, Adrien pulled at the thin material. “So, my mother…”

“After the evidence kept gathering around your father, majority of the covens decided to unite and take matters into their own hands. They—They tried to take _you._”

He gaped, staring at the familiar. “W-What!?”

Plagg was struggling to continue, he could tell. But Adrien _had_ to know the truth. Not matter how painful it was. “They tried to kidnap you and use you as a bargaining chip to get your father to stop murdering witches. Your mother offered herself instead.”

“Were they planning to kill me?”

Shaking his head, the cat hummed. “No. Their intention wasn’t to kill anyone, just simply to get Gabriel to stop killing for the safe return of his wife. But, as you may have noticed, your father doesn’t take being put in a negotiating position very tactfully. He gathered your clan… and slaughtered an entire coven as a message.”

Adrien gulped. No wonder Marinette thought his father was a monster. He even agreed with her. Chewing his lip, he held in a sob. “Plagg… I’m _so_ sorry.”

“It wasn’t you, Adrien. Don’t take on your father’s burdens. Emilie—Emilie knew what had to be done. Your mother sacrificed herself in hopes that it would stop your father. She told the witches who held her captive that killing her may have enough consequences to stop him from continuing down this path,” Plagg paused, taking a deep breath. “Your mother wanted nothing more than to prevent what has happened to you. She didn’t want you to be caught up in this again. Your mother died to protect you. She begged the covens to keep you a secret and say that they killed you as well. And when your father found out that witches assumed his son was dead… well, clearly he locked you away so people would believe it.”

So much information overloaded Adrien’s mind. That’s why Marinette was freaking out. She never would have assumed that he was Gabriel Agreste’s son because he was supposedly _dead._ All of this…. _All of this_ was because of his father! His mother’s death wasn’t on witches, it was on his father. She died because of _him!_

But Plagg… Plagg knew _so _much. Adrien eyed the familiar. “You… sound like you know first-hand.”

The cat grimaced. “Let’s just say… when I came here that it wasn’t the first time your father had killed one of my owners.”

That made sense. He was sure that Plagg was probably sick of his father by that point. He’d chase the culprit down too. He couldn’t imagine Plagg’s surprise to find him locked up in his room all day. Plagg probably thought Gabriel’s son would be a monster in training, not a naïve vampire who knew nothing about—well—being a vampire.

“As soon as I met you… I knew you were going to be great. You may see falling for Marinette as a major problem right now, but Adrien, I can assure you. It wasn’t a mistake. This is your fate. Your destiny is intertwined with hers.”

Fate… Fate and destiny seemed to be witchy mojo that Marinette mentioned everyone once in a while. Then she started using words like “soulmate” and it terrified him even more. It was so ironic that out of all the witches he met, it was one from the coven where a young witch was supposed to defeat his father.

And maybe that would be the day he waited for. Maybe, when all of this was over… he could reunite with Marinette. She certainly had a distain for him after that evening. The witch was absolutely furious with Tikki for not telling her that he was an Agreste.

“Did you tell Tikki who I was… or did she figure it out?”

“A little of both.”

Adrien let out a dry laugh. “So, all that time in the tree wasn’t spent talking about soap opera gossip like I thought, huh?”

Plagg grinned. “Nope, just about the two stupid young adult love birds we were trying to protect. Which, I’m sorry about by the way. Trixx is a sneaky familiar and can make other familiars unable to sense her as well as her owners. That sly fox is nothing but trouble.”

“D-Do you think Marinette will ever love me again? After the war is over?”

“She still loves you, Adrien, she’s just… a little shocked right now,” he assured.

“This wouldn’t ruin things between us? How do you know?”

“A little buggy knows a lot about her owner.”

o~o~o~o

Adrien sat in the usual tree he hid in while waiting for Marinette to arrive. It’d been a week since he’d last seen her. Since he’d learned the truth. Even if she didn’t want to be with him, he figured he owed her an apology. Whether he’d meant to or not, he’d lied by omission. He didn’t know his last name held so much weight. How heavy of a burden it was…

While Adrien didn’t expect her to show, he couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed when she didn’t. Marinette had a cellphone, however, since his father kept him in the dark ages Adrien didn’t own one himself. He had no way to contact her.

Sighing, he leaned against the bark. His foot dangled idly to the side.

“Did you really think she’d show up?” Plagg asked, licking a paw as he lay on a lower branch.

Adrien shrugged, picking at the bark beneath his nails. “I was hoping,” he muttered, voice wavering as he tried to hide the disappointment that ached in his chest.

He missed her.

Plagg stood, stretching his back with a groan. The familiar hopped up into the branch with Adrien, making the leaves at the tip of the branch rattle. The vampire watched, a bit stunned, as Plagg climbed towards him and crawled into his lap. There was a purr buzzing in his throat as Adrien timidly scratched his head. It was… nice. He’d never noticed that Plagg’s fur was very soft. It was comforting while he felt so awful.

“What are you going to do, kid?”

Stroking the cat, Adrien gazed down at him. Plagg was looking at him so expectantly. Like Adrien should know the answer right then. But he didn’t. Adrien had been lost many times in his life. However, this was the worst. This was the lowest he’d ever felt. Losing Marinette was losing the greatest light that had ever entered his life.

“I need to go talk to her.”

Plagg’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? That’s risky.”

“She’s worth it. I have to know how she feels.”

o~o~o~o

When Adrien found himself perched on the railing of her balcony in his bat form, he was at a loss. He didn’t know how to approach her. Didn’t know how to apologize. Where to even begin. He was nervous… terrified, even. The last thing he wanted was to see her fearful of him again. Disgusted with him again. The thoughts plagued him as he balanced there, waiting for something to happen.

What if she never wanted to see him again? The idea of the love of his life hating him because of his father’s actions was almost too much to bear. He loved her. With every part of his being. He longed to be with her again. His heart ached at the thought of her. His chest was so tight, heart pumping harder than it ever had in his life.

Swallowing, he gathered his nerves. Returning to his natural form, he bent down, knocking on the trap door as anxiety overwhelmed him. His fingers trembled as his knuckle rapped against the wood.

Plagg stood next to a potted plant. Adrien was too uneasy to note the little detail that the familiar could easily knock one of those over. He was a cat. And a little shit. He’d probably do it in a heartbeat.

The door creaked open; Marinette’s expression was suspicious as she timidly opened the door. Her eyes blew wide at the sight of him. She yelped, quickly slamming the door back down.

“W-Wait! Marinette, please, we need to talk.”

“I _can’t_,” came her muffled reply.

“_Please, _Marinette…” he begged, voice hoarse. Hot liquid stung his eyes. God, he couldn’t cry. Not now. He had to speak to her. “Please. Plagg told me everything. I know what my father did. I’m sorry I was ignorant and didn’t understand. I wish I had known…”

He reared back in surprise when she flung the door back open. Her brows were pinched, eyes hard as she stared at him. “You really didn’t know?”

“I didn’t know anything, I swear. My father has kept me in the dark my entire life. I had—I had no idea my mother sacrificed herself for me. My father locked me up and hid me from the world to make everyone think I was dead.”

He noticed her swallow. “I did. I thought the son of Gabriel Agreste was dead. We all did. It’s why I—I _never_ suspected he was your father. I just thought you had a really shitty dad.”

“Let me in. We can talk about this, please.”

Sighing, she nodded. “Okay…”

Adrien tried to hide the elation he felt. His ears perked, heart flying higher. He didn’t want to expect much, but it was nice to be allowed to explain himself.

So, when he found himself sitting on her chaise, he did just that. Marinette sat away from him on the other side of the room. She was weary, and that was fair. It wasn’t every day that you find out that your—uh, whatever he was to her—was the son of your mortal enemy. Granted, if Adrien had known this entire war was his father’s doing, he’d never pursued Marinette in the first place.

“Plagg told me everything. I’m _so _sorry for not knowing and for not understanding how much danger I was putting you in. I could have really fucked up. And I hope you forgive me for that.”

Marinette crossed her arms, cocking a brow. “You’re putting me in a lot of danger right now, you realize.”

He gulped. “I do. But I couldn’t—I couldn’t let you go without saying goodbye. Or without letting you know how much I…” he trailed off, fiddling with his thumbs and avoiding her gaze. “How much I love you.”

“Adrien, please, don’t do this.”

Gazing back up at her, he hid behind his bangs. “I do though. I love you so much. You have been the greatest thing to ever happen to me, Marinette. And I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize how wrong of me this was.”

Marinette hugged herself, shifting uncomfortably as her hands rubbed up and down her arms. She shied away, not looking at him. If she didn’t return his feelings, that was okay. He had to accept that.

“If this changes how you feel about me, then I understand. Being in love with the son of the man who literally called for the extermination for your entire race is—is a hard pill to swallow I’m sure. I never meant to hurt you, Marinette, I—”

“I’m the witch from the prophecy!” she all but shouted.

Her volume startled him. Adrien’s eyes blew wide, brows shooting up past his hairline as he gaped. He’d heard her words, but processing them was an entirely different story. Marinette. Marinette was the witch from the prophecy she’d told him. _She _was the one who was supposed to end the war.

Marinette was the one destined to eliminate his father.

“O-Oh my _god,_” he finally sputtered out.

“That’s why we can’t do this, Adrien!” she cried, arms curling into her chest. Hot tears leaked along her cheeks. “_I’m_ supposed to _kill_ your _father!_ This is the most twisted fate, and I… I just _can’t_ handle it. I can’t be in love with you knowing that I’m supposed to eliminate your clan. Your _family._ I’m supposed to _hurt_ you. Get rid of _you!_ And I know I can’t do it. I-I’m going to fail.” Marinette sobbed as she slid down the wall to the floor.

“Marinette, no,” he pleaded. Adrien stood from the chaise, falling to his knees in front of her. He cupped her cheek, pressing his forehead to hers. “You won’t fail. I… I’ll help you.”

Her eyes shot open, gazing up at him in astonishment. “_What?_” she gasped.

“I’ll help you. I want to stop this war. My mother wanted this to end, Marinette, that’s why she gave her life up.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not. I’m offering.”

She said nothing. Only gazing at him in a stunned silence. Her eyes seemed to search him, looking for any sign of deceitfulness that she could. But he knew there wasn’t any. He was being entirely honest with her. He’d do whatever it took to fulfil his mother’s last wish for peace.

His heart cracked when she shook her head. “I—I _can’t_. Adrien, this is so much bigger than either of us realized. We’re in over our heads. You’ve told me the kind of monster your father is at home. I can’t imagine how much more brutal he’ll be if he knows that you’re helping me.”

“Marinette, I can handle myself.”

“I can’t let you do this.”

Gently, he pulled her in placing his lips to hers. The kiss made his chest tighten as so many emotions swirled within him. His stomach churned, eyes watering. This didn’t feel like a normal kiss. It felt like goodbye. And it hurt. So much.

Marinette pulled away, giving him another peck on the cheek. “You need to leave. You need to run away from your clan and don’t look back. Forget about them. And—And forget about me. I can’t promise the outcome of this. I don’t want that guilt hanging over you if something were to happen to me.”

Her words stabbed him like daggers. He didn’t want to admit that she could be right. Adrien was so tired of the women in his life having to be noble. Having to sacrifice herself for others. Why couldn’t he _do_ something about it?

“I can protect you,” he insisted, eyes pleading into hers.

Marinette shook her head, pushing him back by the chest. “You need to go.”

Swallowing thickly, he finally gave in. Pressing a small peck to her forehead, Adrien took his leave. When he reached her balcony, Plagg stood there waiting. No pots throw about, thankfully. The familiar asked nothing. And the two of them flew back to the mansion.

Lonelier than it had ever been…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof. there it is.


	8. Bad Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super short. WHOOPS.

There was an emptiness in Marinette’s chest as she watched Adrien leave through the trap door. The hot tears streaming down her cheeks burned her skin. Remorse was thick in her throat. The whole situation was hard to swallow. She didn’t know how to handle it.

Sharp aching of sorrow throbbed throughout her veins. The grief making her heart hurt. Marinette knew she’d be in denial if she pretended she hadn’t missed him over the last week. The press of his lips, the soft caresses of his skin, the sparkle in his eyes, and the shimmer of his fangs when he gave her a cheeky grin. She missed him… missed his teasing… missed his love.

She couldn’t imagine how he felt. Knowing he was so alone…

“Marinette.”

Tikki drew her out of her trance. Marinette sniffled as she turned to her familiar, looking to her with pinched brows.

Tikki wore a mournful frown. “Why are you doing this to yourself? And to Adrien?”

“What do you mean?” She asked, tone unsure.

“Giving each other up is the _last_ thing you need to do,” Tikki told her sternly, crossing her tiny arms.

“W-What!? I’m trying to protect both of us.”

She shook her head. “No, Marinette. You’re trying to take the easy way out. Pretending Adrien isn’t Gabriel’s son isn’t going to make you feel any better.”

Marinette clenched her fist. “No! I’m not! I just want Adrien to be safe.”

“By sacrificing yourself? Marinette, he offered to _help _you!”

“I know, and he _shouldn’t_.”

“Do you not realize the gravity of what he just did? His father is his only family. He’s willing to give up _everything_ for you, and you sent him packing!”

“I’m just doing what’s best!”

“No! You’re doing what’s easy!”

“How is giving up the boy I’m in love with considered an _easy_ task!?”

“Because you don’t have to deal watching him fight for you. You don’t want him to get hurt because of you. You don’t want him to turn on his family for you. That’s why.”

“Okay, and?”

Tikki fluttered right up to her face. “You’re his way _out_. If you give him up, he has nothing to return to. If you defeat Gabriel, Adrien will finally be free. His father _abuses _him. Even if he were to run away, he’ll be alone. But if you’d stop being stubborn, he could be with you. You’re taking away his happiness for the small chance that you could fail. Which is unlikely. Oracles are rarely ever wrong.”

“I…” she trailed off. No matter how much Marinette wanted to argue, Tikki was right. Why was she insisting that Adrien have nothing to do with her? If she really were able to defeat Gabriel, Adrien would be free to live where he pleased. And love who he pleased…

What was she doing this for? Why was she hurting both of them like this? She broke her own heart and his in one fell swoop.

“Tikki.”

The familiar lifted her head, looking at Marinette with a concerned gaze. “Yes?”

“How do I find Adrien?”

Tikki’s face lit up, a smile etching across her tiny mouth. “I thought you’d never ask.”

o~o~o~o

Adrien sat on his bed, legs crossed as he stared unwavering at the floor. He didn’t know what to do. The idea of running away was tempting… but running away without Marinette seemed so wrong. It felt wrong.

He didn’t want to keep on without her. The thought of being utterly alone terrified him. While he knew he had Plagg, there was only so much comfort his familiar could bring him. All he wanted was to be with her. To be with Marinette.

“Plagg, what am I going to do?” Adrien asked with a groan, falling back onto the bed in a disheveled heap. If Marinette was going forth with her destiny soon, he needed to flee. He needed to get as far away as he could.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. There was a small hope inside him wavering. Praying that she may change her mind.

“Maybe, you should open your window,” Plagg smarmed.

Adrien sat up, giving Plagg a puzzled look. Brow quirking at the cat, he wasn’t sure what Plagg meant. “Huh?”

A small tapping on the glass nearly sent him flying out of his skin. Just on the other side of the window… was Marinette. She hovered on her broom as their eyes met. Giving him a hesitant wave with her fingers, she smiled nervously.

Was he dreaming? Hallucinating, maybe? She couldn’t really be here… How did she know where to go?

Common sense reminded him that Tikki could probably sense him, just as Plagg had led him to Marinette all those many nights ago. Who knew their familiars had been playing match-maker this entire time? Even if they hadn’t intended to.

Adrien stumbled over his own feet to get to the window. He opened it, the chilly air hitting his skin as Marinette smiled meekly at him.

“H-Hi,” she said.

Warmth washed over him. His shoulders relaxed at the sight of her, a stupid dopey grin falling upon his lips. “Hey.”

“I-I’m sorry. For everything. I just thought that I was doing what was best for both of us, but really I was just trying to run away from my problems,” she admitted, rubbing her arm shyly.

Adrien smiled, reaching out to catch her hand. “It’s okay. I understand. You have a lot on your shoulders.”

He paused. Wait. Reality hit him like a ton of bricks. Seeing Marinette made his brain go to putty, but he gathered his wits after realizing the gravity of the situation. This was _really_ dangerous. His father could probably smell her if she got any closer. Frantically, in a whirlwind of panic, Adrien yanked her down. She let out a tiny yelp as she fell into his arms. The sudden weight on his body sent them tumbling to the floor.

Gulping, he grimaced. “Okay, before I do this, I’m going to say I’m really sorry.”

Her brows furrowed. “What are you—?”

Her breath caught in a gasp when Adrien pressed his tongue flat against her neck, licking a stripe up her skin. He tried to make it brief but enough to cover her scent from his father. When he pulled away, her cheeks were flushed as she stared at him buggy eyed.

“W-What?”

“Sorry. I had to scent you so father wouldn’t know you were here.”

She snorted. “Are you a vampire or a werewolf?”

Adrien chuckled, feeling his cheeks heat. “Well, we’re kind of similar to them.”

“Only werewolves can eat garlic without dying.”

Laughing, he sat up. Marinette was perched in his lap with a smile. He missed this. Being with her like this made his heart so happy every time. When Marinette was with him, it was like nothing else mattered. He’d forgotten all the grief in his life. She shined so brightly in the darkness of his life.

“You really shouldn’t stay here long,” he told her, knowing that his father or Nathalie could pop in his room at any given moment.

Adrien helped her to her feet. The two stood there in silence for a moment. It seemed Marinette didn’t know where to begin.

She pulled her hands to her chest, eyes brimming with emotion. “I’m sorry for running. I’m sorry for not wanting you to fight by my side. This is going to be so difficult for both of us. I couldn’t bear watching you get hurt, but that was selfish of me. This is your battle to fight as well, and it’s wrong of me to ask you not to avenge your mother. The _right_ way, this time.”

Adrien couldn’t help but smile. He pressed a kiss to her knuckle. “You’re right. I want to be by your side and fight alongside you. No matter who or what it is.”

Marinette’s eyes bubbled with fresh tears. “I-I know I said some things when Alya caught us that I shouldn’t have. I know you may think that I see you as a monster, but I assure you that I don’t. A-And what we have is much more than just, you know, kissing and stuff.”

He chuckled. While it was a relief to hear her say, he’d already figured that she wasn’t angry with him like he’d originally thought. “I know.”

“I love you, Adrien Agreste. No matter what that means for us.”

His heart swelled, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. “I love you too. More than anything. I-I’m sorry I lied by omission. I really didn’t understand.”

She cupped his cheeks, rubbing her thumbs along his skin. “I know. I already forgave you.”

Adrien’s laugh was breathless. “I’m so grateful for you. I don’t deserve it.”

“You deserve everything.”

“You know… if you really did think I was a monster, you wouldn’t be wrong. Vampires are pretty gross.”

She laughed. “Shut up.”

Marinette pulled him in, pressing her mouth to his. He laughed against her lips, smiling into the kiss. Adrien couldn’t help how elated he felt. He had her back. The girl that meant everything to him… She was his again. And that’s all he could ever want.

The sudden sound of slow clapping sent Adrien jolting away from her. His heart dropped to his stomach, dread inching through every vein.

There stood his father, applauding them with a sinister smirk on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short, but it's all for the cliff hanger...
> 
> Last two chapters next week! See you then! ;D


	9. Swept Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is a mild sexual scene at the end of this chapter!

Marinette had never felt so much fear in her life. Adrien’s expression spoke volumes at the sight of his father standing there. Fear and dread were etched on his features as Gabriel stood in the doorway looking as sinister as every witch had described him to be. She was afraid. Terrified, even.

But if she had to face her destiny, right here and now, she was ready. She wouldn’t back down. Especially since she knew she had Adrien on her side.

“Wow, that was just so _touching_, wasn’t it?” Gabriel smarmed, clasping his hands behind his back. His fangs were so much longer than Adrien’s. Did he do that on purpose? Adrien said he’d be able to control the length of his fangs when he matured more. It’d make sense that Gabriel would use them as an intimidation factor, knowing his history.

Adrien stood in front of her, arms outstretched to block her from him. “Don’t you dare come any closer.”

“Or what? What are _you_ going to do? A weak little vampire like yourself? You could barely hide her from me. She’s quite powerful, actually. I’m honestly impressed that you could hide her scent as much as you did.”

Marinette made a mental note that Gabriel could actually _smell_ how powerful she was. That was—weird. A little disturbing, honestly. Maybe Adrien wasn’t exaggerating when he said that vampires were gross. She hated to see this. She hated to see Adrien being taunted and put down by his own father. And what made it worse? Knowing this wasn’t just because she was here. That Gabriel did this before. He tormented Adrien on the regular. Made him feel weak and powerless all of the time.

“Father, I’m going to ask you again to _leave._”

Gabriel let out an ominous laugh. “Are you serious? I knew you were naïve, but I never took you for an idiot, my son. You know damn well that little witch of yours won’t be leaving this mansion,” he paused. “Alive, at least.”

The growl that left Adrien’s throat was feral. If she wasn’t so on edge already, it may have frightened her a little. His fists were clenched so tightly, she was worried his sharpened nails may break the skin. 

“How about this? _I_ won’t hurt her personally, as long as _you’re_ the one who drinks her dry right here and now.”

Marinette gasped quietly, stiffening as she saw Adrien’s face go pale. She knew he wouldn’t. But the thought that he may follow his father’s orders terrified her. Adrien reached back, intertwining their fingers together and tugged her closer.

“I would _never,_” he hissed in reply.

“Really? Not following orders, hm? What a traitorous thing to do.”

“The only traitor here is you! You’ve been doing nothing but hurting others, and that’s not what mother would have wanted.”

Gabriel’s eyes hardened, sneering at his son’s words. “Don’t you dare speak of her.”

“You knew she wanted you to stop this! And yet you continued to hunt witches for personal gain. Who is the traitor here, Father!? It’s _not_ me!”

“You’re a fool, Adrien. If you think you can stand up to me then you’re sorely mistaken. I suggest you do as I say before this gets messier than it already is.”

Adrien snarled. “You don’t control me any longer!”

When Gabriel took a step forward, Adrien’s grip on her hand tighten. “It seems I’ll have to take care of this myself.”

Marinette knew vampires were quick, but she’d never seen it in action. Adrien had never had the need to use his speed, other than the time she’d fallen off her broom. Even then, he hadn’t been as quick as Gabriel was when he was rapidly across the room. Suddenly, she was in Adrien’s arms, his back was turned to Gabriel, shielding her from the elder vampire. Every bit of her being told her to gasp, but when she opened her mouth no sound came out.

Adrien had told her about the third vampire form, but she never thought she’d actually see it. On Adrien, at least. The change was instant. She hardly seen it happen. Large bat wings protruded from his back as he blocked Gabriel’s attack. She could feel his elongated nails rubbing against her skin as he clutched her to his chest. While she couldn’t see his face, she could see his ears were much sharper and larger than they were before. No wonder no one spoke of this form… it was quite mutant.

“Ohh, bringing out all the stops against me, are we?” Gabriel taunted as he clawed at Adrien’s new wings.

Adrien groaned in pain as his father lashed out at him. Marinette didn’t even have to see the action to know that there would be fresh wounds littered along Adrien’s skin. She didn’t know what to do. Tikki was hiding somewhere. How could she help?

With a particularly rougher hit, Adrien hit the floor. He moaned in pain, making her heart drop.

“Adrien!” she cried, starting towards him.

Instead, she yelped when Gabriel suddenly had her by the shoulders. Marinette felt her blood run cold when she was ripped away from Adrien. While he lay injured on the floor, he saw the situation above him. He lunged for her, but Gabriel was too fast. Adrien hit the floor with a clatter, groaning in pain as he gazed up pleadingly. Gabriel yanked her by the throat, locking his arm around her neck in a choke hold before slithering across the room. 

Marinette struggled against him. Kicking and lashing in his grasp, she tried to shimmy away. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good _at all_. Marinette searched the room for Tikki but to no avail. Where was she!?

Adrien stood limply, a snarl pulling at his lips. She didn’t want to note how sinister and much like his father he looked. At least, it was directed at Gabriel and not her.

“Let her _go,_” Adrien demanded. His voice was so angry, so much darker than she could ever remember. It was almost terrifying.

Gabriel chuckled. The sound sent a chill up her spine. He grabbed the top of her head, clutching her hair and yanking her head to the side. Marinette cried out in pain, making Adrien visibly flinch from across the room. He took another step forward, but suddenly she could feel Gabriel’s fingers on her neck, stopping Adrien in his tracks.

“When’s the last time you drank blood, my dear boy?”

Adrien’s eyes widened with panic. Oh no. Had he not been drinking blood this past week? Knowing him, after the incident with Alya, he probably abandoned self-care. She knew when he got upset, he tended to neglect himself.

Would he frenzy?

She prayed not.

Gabriel’s claws sunk into her neck as he trailed down her skin. She felt the scratch ooze hot liquid. Adrien looked enraged for just a moment before his red eyes glowed. He stood ram-rod straight, mouth gaping.

“That’s it, son. Come closer…”

Adrien did just that. Sluggishly, he moved towards her seemingly in a trance. He steps were slow… each step making Marinette’s heart beat quicken in her chest. It couldn’t end this way. Not like this. Not from the boy she loved. It couldn’t… it just _couldn’t._

But what else could she do? Tikki was nowhere in sight, neither was Plagg, her wand was tucked away in her boot, and her one chance at protection was now trotting menacingly towards her. She was done for.

Adrien reached her, his hands gripping her arms. Marinette felt the pitiful whine leave her lips. As much as she wanted to scrunch her eyes closed, she didn’t. He glanced up at her beneath his bangs, eyes hidden so only she could see. And he _winked._

_What!? _He was _faking!?_

Mouth falling agape, she watched as Adrien leaned in towards her bloodied neck. Gabriel chuckled, seemingly amused by the display. He apparently thought he had the upper hand on the situation, but in reality Marinette knew Adrien was just pulling his father by the chain. Adrien’s tongue lay flat against her neck as he licked the blood off her skin. He lapped at the wounds his father caused, and they healed in an instant.

Gabriel gasped. “What!?”

And right as the elder vampire processed the situation, Adrien snatched her from his grip. She squeaked at being jostled around, but couldn’t contain her relief to be out of Gabriel’s clutches and safely back in her love’s arms. The last few moments of helplessness hadn't sat well with her. She was supposed to be better. She _had_ to do better. 

Quickly sprinting towards the window, Adrien scooped Marinette into a bridal style hold. “Let’s go Plagg!” he called as he leapt out the window.

Marinette felt a drop in the pit of her stomach as they fell. She was stunned when she heard Gabriel shout in pain, before the two glowing smudges of Tikki and Plagg joined them outside.

“C-Call your broom,” Adrien huffed, losing his breath. The wings on his back were flapping slower and slower as he seemed to lose steam.

Doing as she was told, Marinette let out a whistle between her teeth, and the broom came shooting towards them. They both perched on her broom as she leaned forward to pick up speed. She glanced back at Adrien who was drawing his large bat wings back into his skin. He cringed in discomfort, straightening his back in an attempt for relief.

“You alright?” Marinette asked.

Adrien nodded, though his pinched brows and scrunched nose said otherwise. “Y-Yeah. Just never used them before.”

“I…” she looked away, blinking back tears as she truly processed what had just occurred.

She shouldn’t have tried to find Adrien. She really just put them in so much danger. Now Gabriel knew about their relationship, and Adrien had no home to go back to. It was her fault. If she had just let Adrien stay the first time, this never would have happened.

But now… he’d put himself in danger. And saved her life.

From his own _father._

Adrien’s arms went around her waist as he balanced himself better on her broom. The silence seemed to be eating him up. “Your sweater is soft.”

Marinette couldn’t help the smiled that tugged lightly at her lips. “Thanks.”

“Did you make it?”

“Uh huh…”

He sighed. She assumed from her lack of enthusiastic answers. Clearly, he was trying to distract her from the horror they’d just experienced, but Marinette couldn’t bring herself to be befuddled at the moment. Adrien’s chin dipped down and rested on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. Shit would have hit the fan eventually, you know?” he tried to joke with a dry chuckle.

“If I hadn’t pushed you away earlier… we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“I understand why you did what you did, Marinette. Don’t blame yourself. I thought I was doing the right thing too by following your lead. Obviously, I should have been more insistent.”

She laughed humorlessly. “Maybe so.”

Marinette appreciated that Adrien wanted to share the blame, but this did fall on her. Defeating Gabriel Agreste was _her_ destiny. And maybe that’s why she and Adrien were supposed to fall in love in the first place. But now she was at a loss. Unsure of what to do.

When they reached the coven, she parked both of them on top of one of the abandoned herb factories. Marinette sat down, taking a deep, calming breath. Tikki fluttered over to her and perched on her shoulder. She glanced at the familiar.

“Oh, Tikki… What did you and Plagg do to distract Gabriel?”

“Plagg bit him.”

Adrien sputtered, doubling over in a hearty laugh. “You _bit_ him!? Plagg, what the hell?”

The cat shrugged. “He was going to follow you. I had to stun him enough to get him off Marinette’s scent.”

Marinette felt her heart fall. “Oh no. He knows my scent now… he’ll be able to track me down won’t he?”

Adrien grimaced, but nodded. “Yes. He’ll definitely track us down eventually. It could take a few days, but we’ll be safe soon,” he glanced up at the brightening night sky. “The sun will be up, and he won’t be able to leave the mansion. We’ll have a few hours to plan our next move.”

Marinette stood, clenching her broom tightly between her fingers. “We need to get you inside soon. You can’t help me fight your father if you’re just one big blister.”

He hugged himself, turning his back to her. “Where will I go? I’m not exactly a secret to Alya. She’ll know who and _what_ I am immediately.”

“I’ll just sneak you into my room again. And—And in the morning we’ll face my parents. We’ll tell them exactly what’s going on.”

Teeth clenching, he looked wide-eyed and panicked. “Are you sure about that?”

“They’re my parents, Adrien. I know they’ll react poorly at first, but they trust my judgement, I promise.”

Sighing, he nodded. “Okay, I understand. A-And Marinette—I’m… I’m so sorry I got you into this mess.”

Shaking her head, she approached him, cupping his cheek in her hand. He leaned into her touch, a stray tear leaking from his lashes. She stretched, winding her arms around his neck. Marinette pressed a small peck to his lips. “None of this is your fault. This is just what we were meant to do. You can’t fight fate, Adrien. You just roll with it.”

Marinette couldn’t help but feel a little pride with the smile that her words put on his lips.

o~o~o~o

Marinette slipped into the trap door, Adrien following suit. They fell onto her bed in a tangled heap. Adrien sighed as he curled up next to her, burying his face in her shoulder. She smiled, stroking his golden locks.

“It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out together.”

He nodded against her. “I know. I’m just worried he’s going to bring the clan with him. I don’t know how we’d fair against them.”

Smiling, she twirled his hair around her finger. “You’ll be fine. _We’ll_ be fine. I can take care of it, I promise.”

“That’s a lot of talk for a little witch.”

Marinette barked out a laugh. “Don’t start underestimating me now.”

Peaking up at her, Adrien shook his head. “No, I would never. I just know how vicious they are, and I don’t want to see you get hurt. I couldn’t live with myself.”

She cupped beneath his chin, tilting his head up. His emerald eyes bore into hers, the whirl of emotions clear in his irises. Marinette brushed her thumb along his cheek bone and pressed her forehead to his. “We’re in this together. No matter what.”

“Yeah…” he breathed.

Pulling him in by his face, she pressed her lips to his. There was so much emotion in that kiss. They both knew the risks they were about to take. That this could very well be the last time to be with one another like this. His lips were so soft and gentle with hers. She wanted to memorize every motion of his mouth melding with her own. Marinette couldn’t imagine what may happen in the upcoming days, but right in that moment, all she wanted was Adrien. His touch. His kisses. His body with hers.

That’s all that mattered.

She tugged at his collar, pulling him closer. Their bodies were flush as her movements against his lips grew more erratic. Adrien clutched her back, his nails digging into her pink sweater. It only spurred her on more. Her grip on him tightened, pushing her lips more soundly into his. So much heat was building inside her.

Adrien broke the kiss, panting against her lips. “M-Marinette, I don’t think I can c-control myself.”

Catching her breath, she gave him a sympathetic smile. “Are you going to go buck wild on me like vampires do in the movies?”

“What movies do you _watch_?”

“Nothing in particular.”

He groaned, leaning his head onto her shoulder. “It’s not a predator prey thing, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m not gonna become feral and rip all your clothes to shreds or something.”

She cocked a brow. “So what is it?”

“Your scent and emotions become really strong for me. It’s overwhelming. And I won’t want to stop if I give into all the sensations.”

Marinette rubbed her fingers gently through his hair. “It’s okay to give in.”

“Really?” he peaked up at her from her shoulder, eyes wide.

“Adrien… I don’t know what could happen in the next few days. And if this is the one time I get to be with you like this, then I want that.”

He glanced away. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

“I know, but I don’t want to think about it that way. I want there to be many, many more times of us being together like this. Getting to love and appreciate one another. It scares me that you think that… that day might not come again,” he confessed, nibbling on his bottom lip shyly.

Marinette pecked his nose. “It’s going to be okay. Whatever is meant to happen will happen. Please, just give in. And make love to me, Adrien.”

The coat of red blush that dusted his cheeks and nose made him far less sinister than a vampire should ever appear. It looked so innocent. And shy. All things that were supposed to be the opposite of vampires. Marinette giggled at his reaction, leaning in and capturing his lips once more. This time the kiss was softer, less heated. Full of so much love and affection that Marinette could feel her heart sing.

The two took time to disrobe each other. Adrien taking every chance he could to appreciate each inch of skin exposed to him. He caressed her, kissed her soft flesh… all while wearing a small grateful smile. His hands smoothed over her bare hips, his tongue poked out from between his lips as he focused his full attention on her. He told her that the sensations were overwhelming, and the love drunk gaze in his eyes confirmed that to be true.

Her palms stroked his arms. Not quite toned, but not skinny either. It was clear that he’d been cooped up for so long. The tenderness of his hands and the fragile porcelain of his body spoke wonders. Although, his pasty skin was more than likely because he couldn’t step out in the son without whelping.

They were naked together. His fingers intertwined with hers as he pushed her hands back on the bed beside her head. Marinette gazed up at him, admiring the way his blonde locks framed his face as he hovered over her. She drank in every inch of his body, committing it to memory in case it was the last time she ever saw it. She didn’t want to fret over the fact that something could very well happen to either of them. But she couldn’t help but humor the thought.

His kisses remained sweet. Adrien pecked down her jaw, hovering over her neck as he pressed a kiss to her nape.

“What? No mate biting?”

“I’m _not_ a werewolf, Marinette.”

She barked a laugh.

Adrien nibbled her neck in retaliation, making her squirm and giggle at his touch. But he never broke the skin. Careful to not let his fangs nick her in any way.

When he caught her lips again, he gently slid into her. Marinette flinched, gripping his shoulders at the stinging feeling. He stretched her, filling her. A new feeling that burned her inside, but she couldn’t find it within her to ask him to stop. He waited… ever so patiently. She relaxed, finally, as the initial pain of intrusion slowly dissipated.

He was thrusting gingerly, and Marinette held on by his shoulders. Their lips connected in gentle kisses as his movements within her were slow. Taking their time meant so much to her. Being able to relish in the feeling of just _knowing _what this was like. What it was like to be pleasured by the man she loved ever so dearly. Watching his brows pinch, his breathing fan on her face as he focused on his movements.

His grunts and groans sending a swirling feeling inside of her. Her love for him bursting from the seams of her being. Adrien’s face flushed more, seeming to sense her admiration for him.

“I love you,” she sighed.

The world timbered. His head seemed to spin as he clutched her closer, hitting deep within her. She cried out, trying to keep quiet, but faltered in her attempts to hide the sweet sounds he brought out of her. When he sighed her name, she felt herself tipping over the edge with him.

Marinette lay there, curled up in his arms. His nose was buried in her hair as they both caught their breath. Adrien’s hand cupped her cheek, bringing her in for another sweet kiss.

“I love you too,” he panted.

Lying there together, Marinette considered the best moment of her life. It was the most relaxed she’d ever felt… She never wanted the evening to end. So content and happy with the vampire next to her. The thoughts of upcoming dangerous adversaries slowly danced out of her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really like how the interaction with Gabriel turned out, but honestly, I'm sick as a dog so I just have to accept how much writing capacity my brain has right now lol. 
> 
> See you guys Thursday for the last chapter!!! :D


	10. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It finally ends.

_The room was dark, empty. Adrien felt like the walls were closing in. Breathing shallow. Brain numb. It was this… day after day after day. The morning would come, and he’d lie in bed. Wondering and hoping if there would be a day he could live with the rest of his kind. His father said it wasn’t safe. Wasn’t safe to leave his room. _

_To leave the mansion. _

_To go outside. _

_But what was he supposed to do? His father tried his damnedest to keep Adrien secluded. To keep him trapped in the dark ages. To keep him away from others of his kind. Or anyone for that matter. _

_The outside world seemed so much more exciting… since Adrien’s world was so bleak. Why wouldn’t anyone talk to him? Just one conversation? Chloe hadn’t spoken to him in years. Not since his mother died. _

_Why wouldn’t she speak to him? _

_Had he done something wrong? _

_Adrien curled into the fetal position, lying on his bed. The sounds of movements within the house echoed through his walls. Footsteps would come close. His heart would swell in hopes of someone paying him a visit. Then they’d pass. _

_Never once did the knock on his door that he desperately wanted ever come. _

_Never once did someone disobey his father’s rules and take pity on his poor, lonely soul. _

_Why him? He often wondered that. Why did his father want him secluded? Ignorant? Ignored? Was this a punishment? _

_Light shined into the crack of the door. Adrien sat up, spinning his head in the direction of the intrusive brightness. A head of blonde hair, green eyes, and a small smile peered back at him. _

_“Mom?” he asked, voice cracking. _

_Emilie said nothing. Her smile merely grew as she approached. She cupped his cheek, and Adrien leaned into the comforting touch. She loved him. Was she the only one who loved him?_

_His mother leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his blonde crown. Her fingers swept through his golden locks. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispered. Her voice echoed around him. _

_But suddenly, she was backing away. Adrien tried to follow her retreat but found he was unable to move towards her. Trapped on the sheets of his bed instead. He continued to try, but in vain. _

_Her brows furrowed apologetically, before she glanced away. Adrien followed her line of sight, seeing Marinette just outside his window floating on her broom. She grinned at him, beckoning him with her hand. _

_Adrien glanced back to Emilie, who smiled and gestured her head towards the witch. It was a signal telling him to go… _

_With one last hesitant glance to his mother, he found himself able to move forward of the bed towards Marinette. He practically floated across the room to reach her. She beamed, holding out her hand. _

_“C’mon, Adrien! Let’s go!” _

_He took her hand, and the world disappeared around them. _

o~o~o~o

Adrien woke with a start, sitting up frantically and fighting to catch his breath. He glanced around the pink room, taking a moment to realize that yes, he was in fact in _Marinette’s_ bed. And that he was also… very _naked._

Gulping and gathering his wits, Adrien quickly detached from the witch clinging to him so that he could go put his modesty in check. He climbed down her ladder, finding their discarded clothes and pulled his underwear and jeans back onto his legs in a hurried manor. Kneeling to the floor, he found his shirt under the chaise. Idly, he wondered how it’d gotten there in the first place. He slipped the shirt back over his head.

After righting himself, he glanced around Marinette’s room in search of clean clothes for her. Noticing her drawers, Adrien vaguely noted that it was kind of rude to go through a girl’s belongings… but he was doing it for a good reason, right?

Adrien held in a yelp when the first drawer he opened was full of pink panties and bras. He quickly grabbed a one of each out, and gathered them in his arms. He continued through her drawers, before finding a large t-shirt and a pair of pajamas. Yeah, that seemed good. Might as well have her be comfortable. No telling what shit they would have to go through with her parents today.

Crawling back into her bed, he dropped the clothes next to her. Timidly, he shook at her shoulder trying to wake her. “Hey… Marinette?”

She grumbled, rolling over and burying her face into the pillow.

Oh. So it was going to be like _that_, huh?

He crawled closer, poking her lightly in the side. “Marinette… You need to wake up. I brought you some pajamas. I hope they’re a pair you like.”

There was another muffled groan before she peaked one blue eye open at him. He couldn’t tell if she was glaring at him or not, but she didn’t seem too pleased. Sighing, she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with the heels of her palms.

“Good morning,” she groused, voice hoarse.

“Hey sleepyhead…” he replied with a grin.

Pouting at him, she nodded her head towards the clothes in his arms. “Those for me?”

“U-Uh! Yeah. I thought you might want to be comfortable. Is… Is that okay?”

Marinette smiled, taking the clothes from his arms. “That’s perfectly fine, Adrien, thank you.”

His heart fluttered in his chest. He was thrilled that she wasn’t angry with him. It would have hurt his ego if she was. He just wanted to be a good boyfriend. If… that’s what he was to her? Was that was he was?

Did they ever decide that?

Are they just dating?

Adrien didn’t know. He’d never done this before…

The vampire felt his cheeks heat when Marinette removed the covers from her naked body. She dressed herself right there in the bed. Adrien had to admit he was a little impressed. Clearly, she did that often. If he’d tried to dress himself in the bed, he would’ve gone tumbling off of it.

Once she was clothed, Marinette smiled, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’m glad you’re here,” she cooed.

Adrien felt warm all over. He grinned in return, leaning back in and giving her a peck of his own. “Me too.”

“I’m not.”

Both of them shot to look at the new voice.

Alya.

She stood there, arms crossed and hip jutting out to the side. A darker skinned male stood beside her, clearly uncomfortable by the looks of his stiff posture and nervous glances. That must have been Alya’s boyfriend that Marinette told him about. But… what was his name again?

“_What_ is he doing here?” Alya snarled.

Marinette sighed. “Do you ever stop sneaking into my room? This is a clear violation of privacy.”

“Marinette.”

“Alya.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Adrien decided that maybe this was a good time to intervene… and also dislodge himself from Marinette so that Alya would hopefully stop glaring evil-eyed bullets at him. “U-Um. She came to save me last night. My father was—well, he…”

“He attacked Adrien,” Marinette chimed in, voice clear and stern. “And now, Gabriel knows my scent so there’s a good chance he’ll find us. And probably try to kill Adrien and me both. So, we have to be ready.”

Alya’s eyes went wide behind her glasses. “Wait, seriously. You’re fighting Gabriel? Like… now?”

Clicking her tongue, Marinette nodded. “In the next few hours, yes. The sun is out right now, so the chances of him finding us right now are low. We need to prepare for a battle though. Tikki and I have already had a game plan for a long time, but it’s going to be put into action now. Hopefully, it works.”

Adrien eyed her, a bit confused. What exactly were her and Tikki planning? “Do you mind me asking what you’re doing?”

She sighed, fiddling with one of her pigtails. “Honestly, I’m not sure. The earrings I have… they’re supposed to give me this great power. The power itself knows what to do for every situation, I just have to activate it. I-I guess what I’m saying is—I have no idea what’s going to happen when I use it.”

“Ah haha… great,” Adrien deadpanned and hung his head.

“I know, it doesn’t sound foolproof. But I know that this is my destiny, and I trust the oracle when she says that I’ll defeat him. I’m not sure how. And I’m not sure what my powers can truly do. But I hope…” Marinette took his hand and pressed it to her chest. “you’re there with me.”

Taking her palm, he moved it to his lips, pressing a kiss there. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be than fighting by your side.”

“Gross,” Alya grumbled.

“I’m Nino!” the boy blurted out.

Adrien blinked stupidly as he stared at ‘Nino.’ Before he burst into laughter. Waving, he grinned. “Hi, Nino. I’m Adrien. Marinette’s vampire boyfriend.”

“Yep, I’ve heard of you,” Nino squeaked.

Marinette snickered at the exchange, while Alya still seemed extremely annoyed. His love looked at him with wide eyes. “Um speaking of you being my vampire boyfriend, we have to tell my parents.”

Alya barked out loud. “Ha! Good luck with that!”

Adrien gulped.

o~o~o~o

Sabine and Tom Dupain-Cheng’s reactions were to be expected… outraged at first before actually listening to the situation. Unlike Adrien’s father, they seemed to trust Marinette’s judgement as she explained the situation to them.

Adrien could feel Tom’s stare burning into his skin. The man was huge. And the young vampire was absolutely _terrified._ If there was one being on this earth that scared him more than his own father, it was Marinette’s.

Tom cut in quickly, his gaze knowing as he looked at them. “Have you two been… _active?”_

Marinette flushed from her roots to her chest. Adrien was also taken aback by the question, simply gaping like a fish.

“Papa!”

“Marinette…” he tone was warning.

Pouting, she glanced away shyly. “Only last night…”

Tom glared. Sabine seemed to hide a giggle behind her hand.

“B-But it was only because I didn’t know what was going to happen when Gabriel finds us! We were safe! I’ve been taking my herbs like I’m supposed to! I wanted to know what it was like to—“

Tom raised his palm, stopping Marinette in her blubbering words. He smiled. “I’m proud of you.”

Adrien shot his head to look at Marinette, who also was stunned into silence. Wh-What!? What the hell? He was _proud _of her for having sex? What did that mean?

_What did that mean!?!_

“You’re grown up now, Marinette. You’re an adult. You can make your own decisions. It was very mature of you to want to understand what love is like even though you know that anything could happen to either of you,” Tom explained.

Sabine nodded, clasping her hands together. “While I’m not too thrilled about the fact that you’ve kept this a secret from us, especially since Adrien is the son of our arch enemy…”

Adrien flushed and peered down at his lap.

“…I am glad that he’s the one you chose. It’s clear that this is the destiny the oracle had in store for you. Your destiny isn’t just to save us, Marinette.” Sabine paused, patting Adrien on the shoulder. “It’s your destiny to save Adrien as well.”

Marinette smiled at her mother before turning to him with a soft gaze. Adrien couldn’t believe his ears. Sure, Tom and Sabine had been pretty upset when Marinette walked downstairs and presented him as her “vampire boyfriend.” Not her most shining moment, he had to admit.

But now? After Marinette explained how awful his father was, how lonely he was, how he treated him… they seemed to accept him. Just—Just like that? It didn’t make any sense.

“Y-You really believe that?” Adrien peeped as he looked at Sabine.

She smiled, nodding. “Of course I do, sweetie. Everything that happens to witches happens with purpose. I’m glad to know that you’re alive. It thrills me to know that your mother lives on through you.”

Swallowing thickly, Adrien’s lips twitched into a smile. “I—I… I don’t know how to thank you.”

Sabine pressed her hands over his. “By loving my daughter with all of your heart. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes! I can do that.”

o~o~o~o

Adrien felt a sense of dread was over him. His father was near. He could feel him. If there was one thing the pair had to do, it was protect the coven. They had to make sure that Gabriel didn’t set foot near that land. He could definitely take hostages and use them as bait. Especially if he brought more of the clan with him.

Quickly, he snatched Marinette’s hand. “It’s time,” he murmured.

Her bluebell eyes blew wide. “He’s here?”

Adrien nodded stiffly.

“Where should we go?”

Where _could_ they go? If they were about to battle his father once and for all, it needed to be secluded. Where no one else could get injured. But suddenly, it came to him.

“The woods! Where we used to meet all the time. That’s a great place to lure him, and we’ll be close enough to the coven to get help if needed.”

Marinette smiled before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “You’re a genius.”

Rubbing his hair, he gave a flustered grin. “I know. I try my best,” he teased.

This was it then. They were to lure Gabriel outside of the coven and hash it out once and for all. Adrien was terrified… if his sweaty palms and tousled hair weren’t enough evidence of his panicked mindset. This had to be done. It had to be finished. For his mother. For Marinette. For every witch his father had ever preyed on for personal gain.

This had to end. And Adrien was going to be part of the finale.

He and Marinette stood ready in the clearing. The trees on either side looked just as they always had, but this time it felt so different. So final. That could very well be the last time he ever saw those trees if his father had anything to say about it.

Adrien sensed Gabriel as he approached. He grabbed Marinette’s arm. “Get ready.”

Nodding, Marinette placed her pointed hat on her head and held her wand at the ready. Tikki perched on her shoulder waiting to strike when necessary. Adrien morphed, his wings stretching from his back, claws and fangs elongating as his ears pointed at the tip. They both stood there, ready and waiting for the battle to immense as Gabriel’s bat form approached.

He changed into his normal form. Hands folded behind his back and a sinister, twisted smile etched on his wretched lips. “Good evening.”

Marinette glanced around, noting their surroundings. “He’s alone,” she muttered.

But Gabriel could still hear. “Well, yes. You didn’t think I’d bother the entire clan with such a trivial matter, did you? My runaway son and his little witchy girlfriend? I think I can handle this on my own.”

“Careful what you say,” Adrien spat. His blood boiled. How dare his father not take this seriously!? Damn, he wanted nothing more than to watch Marinette tear him limb from limb. But that wasn’t the plan.

In fact… Adrien didn’t know the plan at all. So, he jumped into action instead. Adrien sprinted towards his father, swiping his claws. Gabriel was actually stunned by the attack, not moving quickly enough away from his son’s attack. Adrien smirked as he saw the scratch marks along his father’s tattered sleeves.

“Maybe, you should have taken this a bit more seriously, _Father._”

“You are _not_ to call me that until you’ve earned the right back.”

Gabriel charged him, but Adrien dodged swiftly. “What about ‘dad,’ ‘papa,’ or ‘old man’?” He called as he hopped from limb to limb of the tree as he father chased after him. Adrien knew he was testing his luck by pissing his father off. But he needed to by Marinette time to figure out which spell she was supposed to cast.

When he heard Marinette shout “Spots on!” he turned to look. Only to get tackled to the ground by his furious father. Adrien struggled in his grip, but Gabriel had his wrists pinned to the dirt. His father’s claws sunk into his skin, making Adrien wallow out in pain.

He heard Marinette’s footsteps approach and glanced up to see her walking towards them. She was entirely red from head to toe, black spots adorned her skin. Had she… Had she _morphed_ with Tikki!? Two antennas popped out from beneath her raven locks. From his father’s frightened face, Gabriel had no idea what she’d done either. Adrien decided to take Marinette’s distraction as a chance to push his father away.

Adrien shucked Gabriel away by pushing his feet into his father’s gut and tossing him off to the side. His father grunted at the attack, but started towards Marinette instead.

“Marinette! Run!”

“No, Adrien! Move out of the way!” her voiced carried loudly and echoed. 

You know… with a tone like that, he didn’t need to be told twice.

Adrien rocketed out of the line of fire, beating his wings and starting towards the air. He yelped when Gabriel snatched his ankle, trying to tug him back down. Wincing, Adrien kicked his father in the face with his free foot, making Gabriel let go and grab his nose.

“Lucky Charm!” Marinette cried, her wand aimed directly at Gabriel as Adrien quickly flew out of the line of fire.

The blast from her wand was a vibrant red as his father was engulfed in its aura. Gabriel bellowed in agony as the discharge swallowed him. Adrien hovered over, watching his father crumble to the ground in a sweltering heap. As much as it hurt… he knew this would finally all be over.

When the magic finally dissipated, his father lay still on the grass beneath him. Adrien gave him a once over before seeing Marinette collapse to the ground as she changed back to normal. He cried her name and quickly flew over to her. He reverted back to his regular form, claws shrinking and wings sinking back into his skin. Adrien grabbed her head, pulling her into his lap as he threaded his fingers through her hair.

“Marinette, please. I can’t lose you…”

“S-She’s fine,” Tikki ground out as she let out a cough. He noticed the familiar lying next to Marinette’s knee and quickly scooped her up into his palms.

“Tikki! What about you?”

“I-I’ll be okay, too,” she said, looking up at him with beading blue eyes.

“W-What did she _do?_”

Tikki simply smiled. “You’ll see.”

Adrien gazed up, seeing his father’s body moving again. A wave of panic washed over him as he quickly cradled Marinette to his chest. He father stood, pure hatred burning in his eyes. Gabriel stomped over to them, sneering as he did so.

But wait.

…Why couldn’t Adrien feel his presence anymore?

“You lousy, no good, piece of shit,” Gabriel hissed. “You should have learned from your mother’s mistakes to never cross me! She should have known not to get in the way of my plans. You’re just like her. It’s disgusting.”

Gabriel reared his hand back as if ready to attack. But nothing happened.

Adrien gaped, eyes widening. Suddenly, it all made sense. And holy _shit_, Marinette _was_ powerful. Especially when combined with Tikki. Those earrings were no joke.

“You’re human,” he murmured in awe.

Gabriel flinched back as if he’d hit him with the lowest blow. Adrien stood, laying Marinette gently down on the soft grass. “Well, oh powerful Gabriel Agreste,” he sneered, “What say you now?”

His father said nothing. Only clenching his fists tightly. It was nice to see his father was the only being humiliated for once. It was refreshing, really. Then he turned and sprinted towards the coven. Well, that would backfire quickly, Adrien mused.

“Running away?” he called.

But his father never looked back.

The witches in the coven would be ready to catch him as soon as he stepped foot in the coven. It felt fitting that witches would be the ones to imprison him.

o~o~o~o

Adrien smiled as he held Marinette by the waist. They floated peacefully over the coven, ignoring the onlookers gazing up at them. 

“So, everything cleared up with your clan?” she asked.

He snorted, giving a small nod. “Well, considering I threatened them with being turned into a human if they ever kill a witch again, I’d say so.”

“You’re so mean.”

“The meanest.”

Marinette turned, sitting sideways on the broom next to him. “I love you, vampy.”

Adrien grinned. “I love you too, wart face.”

“Gross! I don’t have a wart face!”

Beaming, he cupped her cheek and pulled her in for a small kiss. “I know. And I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for your support over this month! This ending ended up a little more rushed than I wanted, but like I said the other day I'm really sick and that's really out of my control. 
> 
> I hope you like this story! 
> 
> I'll see you guys in the next chapter of Lock it Up ;D
> 
> [tumblr](https://ashtheshortstack.tumblr.com)


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